Just A Little Fuel
by MistahWompah
Summary: Minato managed to kill Tobi on the night of the Kyuubi attack. Naturally, the Elemental Nations are one step closer to peace. Or are they? One villain falls, but another will rise and that villain is human nature itself... along with his sociopathic son helping things along the way. Dark Naruto, Alive Minato and Kushina, Jinchuuriki sister, Not a neglect fic, No intended bashing.
1. Unchaining a Devil

**This is a new story of mine. I was gonna wait a little longer to uploa****d it, but I thought that I may as well upload it now. I'm juggling more than a few stories at the moment, but I really wanted to get this idea off my chest. I've written about 2 and a half chapters for this already so I will feel less swarmed and hopefully the update speed on my other stories doesn't slow down too much.**

**Anyway, I just really wanted to write a fic where Naruto is an asshole and he has no reason to be... I'm not all that confident in my writing skills so it may not be the best dark Naruto fic ever, but I did want to write a dark Naruto fic with no intended bashing and no pointless pairings.**

**I was inspired by the song Consume your ****vengeance by Suicide Commando, along with some of my favourite antagonists from stories - Johan Liebert from Monster and Terumi from Blazblue, namely.**

**I don't own Naruto or any other series that I may borrow from.**

On the surface, Konohagakure no Sato was an idyllic place. Surrounded by vast forests of green created by the Shodai Hokage himself, a bustling and cheerful population where ninja and civilian can co-exist perfectly and had a warm, inviting atmosphere. Yes, Konoha was undoubtedly a beautiful place. They were under the rule of the young and talented Yondaime Hokage and things were looking brighter than the sun that shone brightly everyday in Konoha's clear blue skies.

However, the brightest light has the darkest shadows and the paradise that was Konoha had suffered its own hardships.

A year after the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato, took his place as the leader of the village there was an attack. An attack that nobody would forget any time soon. The nine tailed fox wreaked havoc against the village. The village also happened to be recovering from a war that plagued most relevant shinobi nations: Iwagakure, Kumogakure, Sunagakure and, of course, Konohagakure. Kirigakure did not partake in the war, too preoccupied fighting in their own civil war. The third shinobi war tore through the nations, leaving everybody picking up the pieces, trying to gather all the strength that they had lost.

Especially Konoha.

So when the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki was attacked when the seal was at its weakest, childbirth, the fox was freed and the nightmare begun. Man after man was thrown at the tailed beast, but it was futile as the beast tore throughout the village mercilessly with reckless abandon. Meanwhile, the young leader of the village was fighting the man responsible for freeing the fox.

After a short battle, Namikaze Minato found himself victorious. He released the control of the fox from the man and realised how dangerous he was. A man that dangerous couldn't be allowed to live. For the good of Konoha - no, the good of the shinobi world as a whole. Namikaze Minato got rid of him, once and for all. It was his responsibility; it was his duty to protect his people.

He was shocked to find that the perpetrator was not Uchiha Madara as he first believed, but his student whom he thought was dead. Uchiha Obito. Swallowing his emotions for the time being, he departed to take care of the fox.

Taking his newborn daughter, much to Kushina's protest, he teleported the fox to a safe position and went to seal it within his daughter. The process was stopped by the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who offered to take Minato's place in the sealing. Minato reluctantly agreed and the old Hokage used the reaper death seal to seal half the demon into his newborn daughter, the yang half, and half of it into Minato's dying wife, Kushina, the previous host so that she would survive, the yin half.

The Sandaime died as a result of this sealing, but Minato and Kushina survived and were able to be there for their twin children.

Naruto and Natsuko.

The whole village had all been saddened at the loss of the Sandaime, but he was hailed as a hero. Everybody loved the man, he was charismatic, caring and genuinely cared about the village. He would not be forgotten.

However, strange things were happening elsewhere as a result of the events in Konoha. In Kirigakure, Yagura, the Yondaime Mizukage, seemed to have regained his senses. He called an end to the civil war and sunk into a deep depression over the acts he had done. He had called for the elimination to those with bloodlines, sending the country into chaos and had performed many other atrocious acts such as making it a requirement for an academy student to kill one of their peers to graduate.

All of these acts were simply unforgivable and Yagura knew this. That is why he couldn't forgive himself, even if he wasn't himself whilst committing these atrocities.

It was like he was living inside of his body and somebody else was making him do all of these acts. All he could remember was a red eye with three black tomoes and the Uchiha clan crest.

Yagura was so despaired by the acts he performed when he was under control, he committed suicide, leaving his Bijuu to reform had nobody fit to take the role as a Kage; there was nobody strong enough and there were other problems, too.

Even though the civil war was officially over, it never really stopped. There was still animosity between the two sides and the people who wanted to exterminate the bloodline users were too far gone to simply go back on what they had been brainwashed into believing. The two sides fought for the seat of Mizukage.

The other villages were completely unaware of that, however. Kirigakure had always been secretive and they made sure that that information never left their isolated island in water country.

Meanwhile, in Konoha, three years after the Kyuubi attack, Kumogakure tried to kidnap the heiress of the Hyuga clan, Hyuga Hinata. The attack was thwarted by the head of the Hyuga clan, Hyuga Hiashi. Hiashi killed the offender and in turn Kumo wanted his head. They wanted the byakugan, a doujutsu that allowed the wielder to see 360 degrees around them and through objects.

Minato, however did not let this happen. He refused, even at the threat of war. He offered other reparations. Kumo eventually relented bitterly but the tension between the two villages rose.

After this event, Namikaze Minato lived his life peacefully with his beautiful wife and two children. He had always wanted a family and now he had one. It was a better feeling than being the Hokage. HIs daughter, Natsuko was a bundle of energy and she always managed to bring a smile to his face. She was beautiful, just like her mother. She shared her mother's red hair and had his blue eyes. She had whisker marks on her cheeks and always wore a beaming smile. She literally lit up Minato's day whenever he saw her.

Kushina had bonded with her daughter like a dream. They were so similar in personality that Kushina was very attached to her and their bond was strong. There was nothing more precious to her than her daughter.

Their son, Naruto was a strange boy. Both parents loved him unconditionally, but he was very different to them. He had spiky blonde hair, just like his father, the same crystal blue eyes, too, and he didn't have whisker marks. He was born with them, but over the years they faded. He was extremely formal, calling Kushina 'Okaa-sama', Minato 'Otou-sama' and Natsuko 'Onee-sama'. He was well spoken and calm but he always had a grin on his face. The grin was strange. It was small and he often had his eyes closed whilst he wore it. It was a strange habit, but Minato and Kushina assumed it was a quirk of his.

Minato could not be happier. Nothing could ruin his life. He had everything he wanted. He had a family, he was Hokage and he was with the love of his life. Everything was perfect.

Yes, perfect.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

An eight year old blonde boy wearing black shorts and white T-shirt sat beside a lake looking at it with a completely blank face. He usually had a smile on his face, not because he was happy but because he felt it was the appropriate facial expression to show. His blank facial expression was apparently unnerving.

Strange.

How could something as small as a facial expression have so much of an effect?

He picked up a pebble, throwing it across the lake, watching as it skimmed across the surface of the lake, creating ripples as it did so. It eventually sunk and he looked at it apathetically. He picked up another one and repeated the action.

'_It's all a cycle,'_ he thought. _'one by one they fall and nobody cares. Nobody notices… a single pebble is completely insignificant. Nobody even notices it's gone. When one falls, another replaces it and then that one falls. The cycle repeats again and again and until there's nothing left and then when we do notice, it's too late. Most of the pebbles are already gone.'_

He stared up into the tree line with his blue eyes that were just as stony as the pebbles that he had thrown. As soon as his eyes met the birds, they all scrambled away. _'How dull,' _he mentally droned. He was supposed to be at the academy, but he didn't really feel like going. There was no point. He had already learnt everything they taught from Itachi-sensei. He wasn't arrogant, but it was true. There were perhaps more things he could learn there, but he didn't want to be around anybody at the moment.

He had started learning from Itachi two years ago. Naruto didn't particularly need an extra sensei. His parents were willing to train him, but he accepted anyway. Itachi was an interesting problem. For somebody so emotionally withdrawn, he was easily affected by his emotions. It was funny. Uchiha Itachi had a lot of pressure on him as the young heir to the Uchiha clan. His prodigious talent was the Uchiha's pride and they pushed him hard. He was at his breaking point.

Naruto didn't hold any personal feelings for Itachi. He was a strong shinobi and had taught Naruto a lot about the profession but he couldn't bring himself to care about the older boy.

"Shouldn't you be at the academy?" Naruto heard a monotone voice say. It was Itachi. Naruto's facial expression immediately changed. He had a small grin gracing his lips and his eyes were closed into slits so his blue eyes were hidden under his eyelids.

"Yes, I should," Naruto said whilst turning around and seeing Itachi's attire from his barely opened eyes. He was in his grey ANBU armour with his mask on his face. "I seem to have got lost on the road of life. I'll make my way to the academy now, crow-sama."

"Do you want me to escort you?" Itachi asked. Naruto shook his head negatively.

"I don't want to be a burden to you. I'll go myself," Naruto replied politely. He walked off without a second glance, basking in the feeling of Itachi's hatred.

Since he was young, he was gifted with the ability to sense negative emotions. He didn't really have any of his own, but he had always been fascinated by them. Such a strong feeling. He didn't understand it whatsoever. How could somebody have such a strong emotion? It was strange. and because he didn't understand it, he wanted to understand it. It was almost an obsession.

Positive emotion was pathetic; it could be taken away in an instant. Happiness is replaced by sadness, joy replaced by grief, love replaced by hate. Every single negative emotion overpowered positive emotion. If people laugh when they're sad, they still feel sad. The sadness is just covered up by a fake happiness, still lurking, never truly going. It was like a putting flowers over a pile of shit. A feeble attempt at masking something unpleasant with something pleasant.

Negative emotion, though, was different. Hatred, grief and despair. Those feelings lurk, fester and grow stronger. They control people, making people do things they wouldn't usually do. It was amusing to see. In Naruto's short life he had seen it many times and he wanted to keep on seeing it. He would keep on seeing it, even if he had to step on a few toes to get his entertainment.

That was why he liked the Uchiha. Well, he didn't _like _the Uchiha. They were as pathetic as every other clan in Konoha, but they were his favourite group of people. They were the embodiment of hatred. Mistreated, they let their emotions control their decisions, driving them further into their own hatred.

The Niidaime Hokage isolated them, giving them the control of the Military Police force in an attempt to gain some control over them. He held them back from higher up positions and isolated them. So bitter, they pushed the village further and further away, living as a separate faction inside the village within their own arrogant bubble.

Their behaviour caused the rest of the population to become weary and suspicious . The hatred towards them was a virus: it was spreading quickly and constantly evolving and they weren't doing anything to help it.

So foolish. So human. So amusing.

Naruto walked at a steady pace with his hands in his pockets. Uchiha Itachi wasn't like his clan, he was different. He wasn't so arrogant. He did, however, share their curse of hatred. He had his own darkness. Resentment to his own clan, to the village, even to his little brother who had it easy in his opinion. Even he wasn't immune their hatred.

From the corner of his eye, Naruto spotted an ant hill. Although it looked like his eyes were closed, they were slightly open. He nonchalantly walked over it, destroying all the ants there without a care in the world. Another set of ants would just build over the ruins.

After all, that's how the world worked.

Itachi watched Naruto walk off with a blank look on his masked face. Naruto had grown into more than a student. He had become a friend. He didn't have many. He was glad he offered to train him more on a whim than anything. He reminisced on how he had come to teach him.

_**Flashback**_

_Itachi watched as the Hokage, his wife and his children walked onto the Uchiha compound. He was standing beside his mother, father and little brother with a stoic look on his face. The Hokage's wife, Kushina, was a friend of his mother's and their families were visiting each other today._

_He eyed the family; Namikaze Minato, the Hokage. He was a respectable looking man. He was tall, broad shouldered and carried himself in a way fitting of a hokage. His golden blonde hair and clear blue eyes were as sharp as ever but he had a relaxed look on his face._

_Uzumaki Kushina was a beautiful woman with flowing, silky red hair. She had violet eyes and was wearing a green housewife dress over a white shirt. She had a radiance about her that only a happy mother could have._

_His eyes drifted over to the children. They were six years old. Uzumaki Natsuko looked like she was practically bursting with energy. She had shoulder length pigtails and was wearing tomboyish clothes, an orange shirt and black shorts. She immediately looked at Sasuke and her eyes brightened at seeing another child her age._

_Uzumaki Naruto… Itachi halted and gave the boy a deeper stare._

_He had a grin on his face, but if he looked at it it was very unsettling. His eyes were seemingly closed so Itachi couldn't get a good read on him. He had messy blonde hair and a strange aura around him. It was almost unnoticeable but he got a read of it for a second and felt an overwhelming coldness._

_For a brief second, Naruto's eyes flickered open and locked with Itachi. _

_Those detached blue eyes… they were the same colour as his father's but lacked all the warmth. Naruto noticed his gaze and his facial expression reverted back to normal, but to Itachi, it looked twice as ominous. Naruto looked away briefly and looked back at Itachi and the feeling was gone again. How strange._

_He would make a great shinobi. He had an aura about him that just screamed 'potential'._

"_Hokage-sama," Fugaku bowed. Minato grinned disarmingly._

"_There's no need for that, Fugaku-dono. Minato would be fine,"_

"_Very well Minato-dono," Fugaku replied. Their greeting was completely overshadowed by Kushina._

"_Mikoto-chan!" she yelled excitedly. Mikoto smiled pleasantly._

"_I see you haven't changed one bit, Kushina," she said._

"_Of course not! I've missed you dattebane!"_

"_It's only been a few weeks," Mikoto said in exasperation. Kushina pouted._

"_A few weeks too many!" She turned to Itachi. "Itachi-kun, you've grown! Sasuke-chan, too!" _

"_Thank you, Kushina-sama," he said awkwardly. He was rather uncomfortable with her outgoing personality._

"_How many times have I told you? Call me Kushina-obaa-chan or something!" she rambled._

"_... Okay, Kushina-obaa-sama," he droned. She pouted, but it was better than nothing. She went to greet Sasuke, but noticed that Natsuko and Sasuke were arguing over something. She went to scold them and gave Itachi a chance to look at Naruto._

"_Hello, Itachi-san, I don't believe we've met before" Naruto greeted with a pleasant tone. Itachi blinked in surprise. He didn't expect a six year old to talk like that. He did as a six year old, but he didn't have Kushina as a mother and he had many more pressures to deal with than Naruto._

"_No, we haven't, Naruto-sama, it's a pleasure to meet you."_

"_There's no need to call me Naruto-sama, Itachi-san." he said. Itachi found himself genuinely believing the sincere tone in his voice. "Just Naruto or anything else you want to call me will do."_

"_Okay, Naruto-kun," Itachi replied. He stared at Naruto analytically. The boy's demeanour and way of speaking told Itachi to be relaxed around him… to feel at ease. A complete contrast to what he felt earlier._

_But he couldn't. Not after seeing those eyes. He was like one of Danzo's drones, but with something else. Ambition? Curiosity? Hatred? No, it was none of those. Itachi couldn't place it… _

_This boy was interesting. Surely, he could invest some of his free time in him._

_Yes, he'd offer to train him. Sasuke didn't matter. He loved his little brother, but he couldn't relate to him. Plus, Sasuke had it easy. He didn't have the fate of the clan hanging over his head and for that, Itachi, somewhere deep down, resented him. _

_But Naruto, maybe he could mold him into a fine shinobi… and maybe he'd find somebody who was worth testing his capacity against._

_**Flashback off**_

Itachi didn't regret teaching Naruto. He had absorbed everything like a sponge and he was truly talented. The pure basics are what Naruto excelled at. He hadn't gotten around to teaching him some more advanced things, but it would come all the more easier because of the extent that Naruto had mastered the basics.

His chakra control was sublime. It was almost perfect, which was an achievement for his age and reserves. He had also inherited the special chakra properties of the Uzumaki; he could materialise his chakra into chains just like his mother. He could consciously manipulate them after he had shot them out.

He had only learned 4 jutsu. The Kawarimi, the bunshin, the henge and the shunshin. However, he could use them to an amazing effect. Especially the kawarimi.

Naruto took all of his lessons to heart and Itachi was confident that Naruto would be the perfect way to test his abilities in the future.

'_Get strong, Naruto-kun.'_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto walked into the academy classroom with a smile. The classroom was large. It had a high ceiling and the teacher's blackboard was at the front. From his position, he could see all the students in the class with ease. The students sat on desks. The front desks were on the ground and as they went back a row, each desk was elevated slightly on a step, giving the classroom the appearance of a lecture theater.

Naruto looked at his sensei, Umino Iruka. He had tanned skin, a scar over his nose and a brown spiky ponytail. He wore the standard outfit of a konoha shinobi. A green flak jacket over a dark blue bodysuit with his forehead protector proudly displayed on his forehead.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Umino-sensei," Naruto hummed. He wasn't really sorry at all and Iruka could tell.

"Just go and sit down. You'll have detention after class."

Naruto's demeanour didn't change at all. "Well, that's unfortunate," Naruto commented offhandedly, walking over to a seat next to his sister. "Hello, Onee-sama," Naruto greeted. She glared at him.

"Why did you come in late? Kaa-chan is going to be mad!" she huffed angrily.

"I got lost on the road of life," Naruto smiled. Natsuko growled in frustration.

"You're just as bad as Kakashi-nii," she pouted.

"Hm," Naruto hummed nonchalantly. "Umino-sensei is talking, Onee-sama. You should really stop talking," Naruto chided playfully. She crossed her arms and huffed. Naruto simply gave her a seemingly kind smile and spun a pencil in his hand whilst listening to Iruka speak.

Just because he already knew what Iruka was teaching, didn't mean he would not perhaps learn anything new or be reminded of something to ponder on.

Iruka was talking about chakra theory… definitely a dull subject. He liked history. The propaganda filled pro Konoha bullshit that they sprouted was definitely… amusing. And hearing about the stupidity of humanity over the years was also interesting. What was this nonsense about Minato being the best Hokage?

Naruto didn't hate his father. He didn't have a reason to. But saying that he was the best hokage of all time was foolish.

The best Hokage was the Niidaime. He introduced many systems into Konoha such as the academy, the chuunin exams and everything else that mattered.

He also, hilariously, added more fuel to the fire that was the Uchiha hatred because of his own fear. A bonus, really.

Naruto scanned the room and looked at his classmates. There were quite a few civilians here who didn't really know what they were getting into. Come to think of it, most of the clan heirs were like that, too.

Yamanaka Ino, a pathetic and useless Sasuke fangirl. He could have maybe a little fun watching her struggle through ninja life pathetically, worthlessly.

Haruno Sakura, a pink haired civilian with no real talent other than her excellent control which wasn't really impressive because her reserves were tiny. She was even worse than the Yamanaka. She had self esteem issues. A stupid weakness. It would be fun to break her.

Akimichi Chouji, a big boned boy with an equally big heart. How... easy.

Nara Shikamaru, the lazy genius. He had the potential to be one of the best ninja in the village but his attitude was holding him back. Oh, well. He met eyes with the pineapple haired boy who gave him an analytical stare. Naruto applauded his attempt to see underneath the underneath but he wouldn't find anything. Not in Naruto's eyes anyway.

Inuzuka Kiba, an impulsive fool. Hot headed, prideful and easy to anger. A bad combination.

Hyuga Hinata… what a useless idiot. Timid, weak and soft spoken. She wasn't cut out to be a kunoichi. Everybody could change and she could become a good kunoichi in the future, like every other person in the room, but as it stood… she was pathetic. She also had some sort of attraction to him. He'd 'saved' her from some bullies. It was on a whim, really. He didn't care that she was getting picked on, but too much noise was being made and he was trying to relax so he just scared them away with a very dark glare. After that, she started blushing around him and calling him 'Naruto-kun'.

Naruto then understood that she had gained a crush on him. He wouldn't do anything about it. He would never even consider having some sort of romantic relationship with her, even if he was capable of it. In fact, he wouldn't have a romantic relationship with anybody. He didn't understand love, not even familial love. Such feelings were useless. But he did understand one thing.

Love made you weak.

It made you irrational and vulnerable. Two things that he refused to be.

Finally, there was Uchiha Sasuke. There were other notable students, but he didn't have an opinion on them. Uchiha Sasuke was Itachi-sensei's little brother and he absolutely hated Naruto. He hated that he was taking his beloved 'nii-san' away from him and was jealous. That hatred… it fed Naruto's soul. Sasuke had so much potential to be consumed by hatred… and he would by all means, force all of that hatred out of him. He would bathe in it and he would enjoy it.

Oh how he looked forward to it… so very much.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto walked home through the streets of Konoha he had his detention with Umino-sensei. It didn't affect him either way. He didn't care if he had detention because he didn't really have anything else to do. He had no desire to return home anytime soon.

He looked around the streets of konoha. The civilians gave him smiles and nods as did the shinobi. Everybody loved the Hokage and by extension, his family. He returned them cheerfully.

'_Fools...' _he thought. They were smiling, happy and friendly.

Outwardly, anyway.

Naruto could see it in their eyes… a fire. Not the 'Will of fire' nonsense. No, the same fire a monster has in their eyes. Everybody lived in an illusion of pleasantry, but that was all it was. An illusion. Everybody had a monster lurking within them. They had an air of self-righteousness, but they were willing to do anything that benefitted them in the slightest…

Not like he was any different.

Naruto shook those thoughts out of his head and realised he was at his house. He walked into the modestly sized house and walked into the kitchen. He was greeted by the sight of red.

"Hello, Okaa-sama," Naruto greeted.

"Naru-chan? Welcome home… what's this I hear about detention?" she asked dangerously.

Naruto was unfazed by his mother's dark tone, "It was my mistake, Okaa-sama. I have no excuses," he chirped.

"..." Kushina paused, unsure with how to deal with that response. "As long as you don't make the same mistake again, it's okay," she said finally. Naruto smiled and turned around to see his father who had a distanced look on his face and his sister who was eating a sandwich

"Hello, Otou-sama, not at work?"

Minato grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. "Err, yeah…" truthfully, he was running away from his paperwork. He had a killer headache. "How was the academy?" Minato asked Naruto, but he was looking at Natsuko when he said it.

"It was fi-," Naruto started, but was interrupted

"It was great, Tou-chan!" Natsuko exclaimed. "We did kunai and shuriken throwing! I was the best! Naruto was a close second, though!" she added the last bit with a beaming smile to her brother.

"Now, now, there's no need to flatter me, Onee-sama," Naruto dismissed. Minato grinned and ruffled Natsuko's hair, causing her to pout and try to flatten it down.

"Natsuko-chan, Naru-chan, it's time to do your homework," Kushina said with a motherly smile. Natsuko's pout deepened.

"I don't wanna…" she whined.

"Well you have to! If you want to become big and strong like your Tou-chan then you have to do all your homework," Kushina said like she was divulging a secret. Natsuko's eyes widened.

"Okay!" she said with determination. Kushina shook her head with a smile and turned to Naruto who was about to walk away.

"You too, Naru-chan!"

"I've already done it, Okaa-sama," he said, looking back with a smile.

"Can I see it, then?"

"Yes, you may," Naruto said, reaching in his pocket and pulling out a piece of paper that had been folded into a small square. He handed it to her and she unfolded it. It took her a while because he had folded it many times. She scanned it over and gave a few nods.

'_It's all right. Down to the last sentence. He has impressive handwriting for somebody his age, too. He's smart… smarter than I was at his age. He must have inherited that from Minato.'_

"Alright," she said. "You can go and play or something."

Naruto inwardly scoffed. What was the point of playing? It was no fun. "Okay, Okaa-sama," he chirped. He was going to see Itachi at the Uchiha compound. If he recalled correctly, he wasn't on a mission and well, he wanted an excuse to feel that intoxicating hatred.

"No fair!" Natsuko protested. Naruto simply offered a salute and walked away.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Uchiha Itachi was frustrated. Another ANBU mission and nothing could challenge him. It was so frustrating! His father was piling responsibilities on him. He couldn't handle it. He needed an outlet, a challenge. He was one shinobi, not an army. The Uchiha clan had steadily been gaining power back under the reign if the Yondaime. All the anti-Uchiha policies brought in by the Niidaime and upheld by Sarutobi were drastically lessened by the Yondaime and that appeased the Uchiha, stopping them from doing something foolish. With the Yondaime ruling, they could gain back their glory.

The first step was through Itachi and he hated them for it.

He couldn't get a break. Being a prodigy did not live up to the hype. He was so close to snapping.

He sensed a presence approaching him and he almost sighed in relief.

"Naruto-kun," he said stoically.

"Itachi-sensei," Naruto replied. "How are you?"

"..." Itachi hesitated. "I'm fine. Just thinking."

"About what?" Naruto asked with _concern _in his voice.

"Nothing."

Naruto raised an eyebrow but did not reply.

"So, what did you want?" Itachi asked.

"Nothing, really. I just came to see you," Naruto pleasantly replied. A small smile played on Itachi's lips that vanished as soon as it appeared.

"Well, let's get some training done?"

Naruto nodded once and Itachi stood up, leading him to an Uchiha training ground. Naruto noticed all the stares on him from the clan members. They looked at him like he was nothing more than trash, like he didn't belong there.

It pleased him that just his presence could elicit such a negative response in the Uchiha clan.

They finally reached the training ground and Itachi stared at him for a few seconds before reaching in his kunai pouch and giving him a slip of paper.

"Chakra paper," Naruto identified it, his eyes now open. His detached blue eyes just looked at the piece of paper appraisingly.

"Correct," Itachi confirmed. "I assume I don't have to explain it's function?"

"No. It's to find out what your chakra nature is, is it not?" Naruto answered.

Itachi nodded briefly. "If it burns it's fire, if it splits in two, it's wind, if it crumbles, it's earth, if it crinkles, it's lightning and if it gets wet, it's water." He looked at Naruto. "Understand?"

Naruto gave a short nod.

"Put a small amount of chakra in it, don't manipulate it in any way."

Naruto did as he was told. The paper split in half and on each side got soggy.

"Wind and water," both Naruto and Itachi said at the same time.

"Right, I'll tell you what the basic exercises for training your wind or water affinity are. Which one do you want to start with?"

"Wind," Naruto answered immediately. "It is the rarest chakra nature after all," he smiled. In his head, though he was thinking something completely different. _'Wind can make the smallest flame burn brighter than the sun,' _he thought. _'How fitting.'_

Itachi nodded. "A wise decision," he picked up a leaf off the ground and handed it to Naruto. "Split this leaf in half with you chakra."

Naruto gingerly took the leaf and looked it over. He cupped it in his hands and pumped his chakra through it. "Of course it doesn't work like chakra paper… I assume the goal is make your chakra fit the properties of the element. The chakra paper must have been some sort of catalyst, but now I have to do it without the assistance."

Itachi nodded in affirmative. _'He got that straight away. Impressive.' _Naruto tried the exercise again and a tiny slice appeared in the leaf. Itachi's eyes widened minisculely.

'_Already? I underestimated his chakra control.' _

"Oh my, this is going to take a while," Naruto hummed.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto sat down with a leaf that was cut a quarter of the way through. He stared at it intently. Apparently, he was getting the hang of it at a crazy rate, but it still wasn't good enough. He wanted to do this, and he definitely would. He had been at it for two hours now. He probably had to get home soon. It was almost his dinner time.

"That's enough, Naruto-kun," Itachi said. "Your progress is impressive but you should be getting home now."

Naruto paused. "I don't want to."

"But you have to. Rest is an important part of training, too."

Naruto's head tilted down and a dark smile graced his lips, but Itachi couldn't see it. "You always say that I have a lot of potential," he looked up and stared at Itachi with eyes almost filled with desperation. They didn't have the normal detached look in them and they showed convincing emotion. "What's the point of potential if I can't use it?"

Itachi's lips twitched.

"I want to get strong. I want to surpass you. I want to get stronger and going home won't make me stronger. I want to train with you… without somebody breathing down my neck. When I'm here I don't feel like I have to be the Hokage's son anymore. All the expectations vanish and I'm only getting stronger for myself. Not anybody else," Naruto said passionately.

Itachi could really sympathise. He had thought the same thing. "But you still have to go for now, Naruto-kun… we can train tomorrow if you'd like?"

Naruto nodded, looking dejected. _'This is fun...' _he thought.

"Before you go, can I ask you a question?"

Naruto looked back and gave a nod. All the emotion that was painted on his face before vanished immediately. Itachi just assumed that he was controlling his emotions.

"What do you think about the Uchiha clan? Honestly."

Naruto put a hand on his chin to make it look like he was pondering something. He paused for a while, building the tension, "The Uchiha are a strong clan." he said simply. "Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Shisui, you… they have birthed many legends." He looked into Itachi's eyes, his face devoid of any emotion.

"There is one thing that all these legends and rising stars have in common, though. They don't stick to the ideals of the clan itself. Their 'superiority', their blind arrogance, their pride… that's what holds the rest of the clan back from being the greats that they have the potential to be. All the strongest Uchiha have been considered rebellious, even you."

Itachi was listening. He couldn't deny a word Naruto was saying and with each sentence, he found himself agreeing with Naruto more and more.

"The Uchiha are still strong, but they could be stronger and for that, I think the Uchiha are fools. Clan, family, power… they put too much worth on these useless things. How can they ever expect to grow with all these limitations? It's a truly sad thing to see. The Uchiha need a wake up call, in my opinion."

Itachi didn't outwardly react but inside he was in conflict. _'He's right. The clan is holding me back, but no matter what I do, I can never be free. Unless...'_

"Naruto-kun," Itachi said seriously.

"Yes?"

"If… I left Konoha, would you join me?"

Naruto paused, looking contemplative, making Itachi inwardly wince but a cheerful smile erupted on Naruto's face. "Sure! You are my only friend, after all."

Itachi gave a small smile to Naruto. "Thank you, Naruto-kun. Do you want me to take you home?"

"That would be nice, sensei."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Two weeks later**

Itachi sat by the naka river, waiting for Shisui. He had enough of being held back. He wanted to test his abilities. He wanted power and he was finally going to make his move.

Uchiha Shisui was the perfect person to test his abilities against. He was Itachi's best friend and only friend other than Naruto. If he won… he'd get the mangekyou sharingan… the eternal mangekyou sharingan. It was night time and it was a full moon. He stared at it even as he felt the presence behind him.

"Hello, Shisui."

"Hey, Itachi," Shisui said casually. His eyes narrowed when Itachi didn't turn around. "So what do you want?"

"Nothing much…"

"You've been acting strange lately," Shisui said suspiciously. "What's up?"

Itachi didn't answer and turned around slowly with a crazed look in his face. Shisui's eyes widened and he tilted his head as a kunai shot past his face.

"What!?" he exclaimed. "Itachi what are you-," he was interrupted as Itachi engaged him taijutsu.

"The mangekyou sharingan," Itachi said with a cool detachment. Shisui's eyes went wide.

"What the hell, Itachi!? I won't let you fall to the dark side. You're my best friend!"

"You have no choice," Itachi droned. "I'll kill you and take your eyes. You will be my new light!"

Shisui activated his sharingan and prepared himself to fight Itachi.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Itachi looked over the dead body of Shisui. His sharingan was now in the form of a three pointed pinwheel. He laughed slowly.

"This power! Is this the power of the mangekyou!? I should test it out…"

Naruto's words from two weeks ago played through his head. _'The Uchiha need a wake up call.' _he remembered and with a plan, he walked into the distance.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Itachi panted as he looked around the Uchiha compound. It was covered in black flames and there must have been some survivors. Even he couldn't take down the whole Uchiha clan. He had just killed his father and all of the police force. It was difficult, but he managed to do it. They put up a good fight, especially his father and the even forced him to use his new mangekyou.

He was in a desperate situation, but some information appeared in his head out of nowhere. The _**Amaterasu, **_inextinguishableblack flames that burned for seven days and seven nights.

"Itachi-nii-san" He heard a small voice behind him yell. He turned around slowly, his sharingan flaring. "Tou-san is dead! Kaa-san is hurt. Who did this?"

"I did." Itachi answered.

"What!? Why!?" Sasuke yelled.

"To test my capacity…"

Sasuke fell backwards and started crawling away, "Don't kill me..!"

"You aren't even worth killing, foolish little brother," Itachi stated calmly. Sasuke shivered in fear. "If you want to kill me, despise me, hate me, and live in an unsightly way... Run, and cling to life, and then some day," His mangekyou sharingan glared into Sasuke's soul, "when you have the same eyes as I do, come before me."

"**Tsukiyomi," **Itachi whispered, looking into Sasuke's eyes and putting him in an illusion for 3 days and 3 nights. He was showing him the Uchiha massacre again and again.

He rushed off the scene. No doubt the disturbance had been noticed. He had to get Naruto and flee. He'd made plans for this.

A rare smile found it's way to Itachi's face. He felt so free. So alive.

**So the coup wasn't even going to happen, but poor Itachi was pushed to breaking point. Boo hoo. Itachi didn't kill all Uchiha because he admitted that even he couldn't do it alone; he had Tobi helping him. Another thing about this story: never trust a thing Naruto says. He is a horrible person. Uh, yeah, I'll update soon.**

**Feel free to review ^_^**


	2. The Nature of Nature

**I don't own Naruto or anything like that. I'm just a fan who happens to like writing stories.**

Minato stood inside the Uchiha compound with a hard look in his eyes looking at the damage. Black flames littered the area and dead bodies were strewn all over the ground with burn marks and kunai. Minato pulled out a scroll from his Hokage Haori and sealed some of the black flames to study.

This was madness.

When he was alerted from his slumber to be informed that about 80% of the Uchiha clan had been massacred, he was understandably shocked. Who had the motive to do it?

The Uchiha weren't planning anything. He had kept them appeased enough and Shisui would have told him; he specifically ordered him to keep watch over than clan and he obviously hadn't acted on his own, seeing as his dead body was found without eyes next to the Naka river.

There were signs of a battle, burn marks, slashes and blood. From what he could conclude, only another Uchiha could have done it and in the clan at the moment, there was only one person who was skilled enough.

Uchiha Itachi, who was coincidentally, also missing. He rubbed his temples. Being Hokage was not all it cracked up to be. The stress was killing him.

He looked over at his wife, who was comforting her friend, Uchiha Mikoto, who had survived the massacre, but was unable to talk due to her distress. The youngest son of the Uchiha clan was also still alive, but he was in a coma from mentally induced stress.

The only other people that did make it out alive were a few elderly and a couple of Uchiha who were patrolling the village at the time.

Konoha had lost quite a lot of power, needless to say.

He sighed. He hadn't even been able to see his kids off to the academy, but it didn't matter as the academy would probably be put off today and for good reason.

Handing the scroll that contained the fire, he walked over to his wife.

"I'm going to go home and check on the kids, okay, Kushina-chan?"

"Alright." she said solemnly. "I'd come with you, but I want to stay with Mikoto-chan for a while?"

Minato nodded and used the Hiraishin no Jutsu to get home. He walked out of his bedroom where the marker was placed and knocked on Natsuko's door.

"Natsuko-chan," he called, peeking through it and watching her sleep. She stirred a bit, and he walked over to her bed to stroke her hair a little.

"...Tou-chan," she said sleepily, "Is it time to get up now?"

"No, you can stay asleep if you want, hime, I've just come to tell you that the academy isn't going to be on today."

"What! Why?" she asked excitedly, forgetting all her tiredness.

"Something happened to the Uchiha clan?"

Natsuko gasped, "Is Sasuke-teme alright? I mean, not that I care or anything," she grumbled the last part, making Minato crack a small smile despite the situation.

"He's fine, he's just at the hospital for now." he paused. "Do you want to stay asleep?"

"No," she said with smile. It wasn't as big as her normal smiles because she was still worried about Sasuke, but it still managed to make Minato feel a little less stressed.

For Minato, Natsuko was his biggest cause of stress and also his biggest stress reliever.

Just like her mother.

He stroked her hair a little. "I'm just going to wake up your brother." he said, making her nod.

He stood up and exited her room, feeling a draft as he walked towards his son's bedroom.

Opening the door he looked in and frowned as there was nobody in there. By all means, he should be asleep. There was not a trace of him in the room.

He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the flying thunder god seal that was on him, but he got nothing.

His son was gone.

He immediately calmed himself to prevent him from panicking. Situations like this had to be handled with care. He couldn't get rid of the feeling in the pit of his stomach, though.

Somebody would have had to remove the seal. They didn't have to be a seal master to do so, because he couldn't place explosive traps on his son's body, obviously, but they still had to be skilled.

There was no doubt in his mind that his son was kidnapped.

And Uchiha Itachi was, once again, the prime suspect.

There were many people who would have reason to kidnap Naruto, but two events like these all in one night? It was more than a coincidence.

His face was stony. How was he, as a Hokage supposed to handle this? He didn't have enough ANBU to spare to search for both his son and Itachi.

His family, or the village?

He knew it was his job to put the village in front of everything else and, with a heavy heart, he made the decision. The decision he had been forced to make time and time again.

The village.

There was a chance that his son was with Itachi. He didn't know what the Uchiha prodigy wanted with his son, but it couldn't be good.

Maybe he wanted a partner? Maybe a weapon? A bargaining chip?

In Itachi's presence, Naruto could easily be manipulated. He was a young child. Itachi could play on Naruto's emotions. Young people were naive and easily swayed by their emotions, after all. Naruto may be less swayed by his emotions than other children. He remembered how Naruto almost never cried when he was a baby and how he never got upset when his sister teased him growing up, but Naruto wasn't immune to emotional trauma. He was a child.

If only he knew.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto sat in an old Uchiha hideout, looking at Itachi who was training his new eyes. Naruto was wearing a simple mesh shirt and black ninja pants held down by bandages at the ankle. He had regular blue ninja sandals on.

He had discarded his hooded cloak off to the side for the time being.

On the outside, he was completely stoic as he watched Itachi try to extinguish his black flames, but on the inside, he felt a small twinge of satisfaction.

He didn't mean for Itachi to massacre his clan.

Really, he was being honest.

He had just been trying to push Itachi over the edge and the results were ever so amusing.

Itachi murdered his best friend, took his eyes and then proceeded to go on a killing spree in his clan compound. All that subtle nudging had certainly been worth it.

He had spent so long just putting little ideas in Itachi's head about strength and being held back, it was really funny what only a few words could do.

He didn't even put any new ideas in his head, he just played with existing doubts in his mind. Maybe if he didn't do anything the result would still have been the same. Who knows?

Still, the novelty of the situation wore off very quickly. He needed something else to do. He could distract himself with training for a while. Nobody would find them here for a few days at least.

He stood up, gaining Itachi's attention. Walking into the middle of the room, he picked up a rock that was on the ground and put his hands over it. Itachi looked on curiously, waiting to see what would happen.

If Itachi was a lesser man who lacked control over his emotions, he would have gaped. Naruto lifted up one hand and revealed the rock with a clean cut through it.

It people more than three times Naruto's age months to get to that stage, and Naruto did it in a couple of weeks. Wind was the hardest element to learn, you needed to be able to control something so wild and unpredictable, to tame it.

And people called Itachi a genius.

Itachi looked at Naruto blankly, but there was a hint of pride and anticipation in his eyes. "Good job, Naruto-kun," he said in his dull voice. "The next stage would be cutting a waterfall, but in our situation, that would be rather foolish," Itachi commented. "So, i'll just make you cut a dense piece of metal."

"Oh, that sounds like a challenge," Naruto whispered with his customary smile.

"But you mustn't neglect every other aspect of training. Spar with me, Naruto-kun," Itachi said. Naruto nodded. Itachi extinguished the black flames that were burning in the background with his eye and then stood in a neutral stance arms by his side. He deactivated his sharingan.

Naruto mirrored the stance. His arms were by his sides and his legs spread out evenly. He watched Itachi for any twitches or movements, his smile not leaving his face. His hand slid into his pocket slowly, making Itachi concentrate on his actions intently.

Naruto picked out a coin and flicked it up with his thumb before catching it in his hand again. He flicked it up once more and it flew in the air.

Suddenly, the coin was replaced by Naruto who took its place mid flight and had his hand in his kunai pouch. His hand lashed out in a wave of motion and kunai soared through the air at Itachi at a blinding pace. They were quickly deflected by Itachi's own set of kunai that he threw in retaliation.

Naruto wordlessly sent out his chakra to one of the kunai and replaced himself with it, appearing at the position the kunai was flying through the air at.

The replacement jutsu required 'reaching' an object with your chakra and then touching it. Then the user replaces positions with the object. Use of the kawarimi was usually limited to larger objects what are stationary because they are the easiest objects to 'grab' like logs.

Naruto, though devised his own way to use the technique. It still required 'grabbing' an object with chakra and he was very skilled at doing that because of his immense chakra control. His method though was meant for objects like kunai. Before throwing them, he attaches his chakra on them beforehand and then throws the object, thus being able to switch without having to grab something that was moving.

It was a simple way to use the jutsu, but he could only do it because he could use chakra chains and it was essentially the same thing. It was just like a Suna puppeteer using chakra strings to form a connection to an object.

In mid air, he grabbed another kunai that was also in the air and launched it at Itachi's position. Itachi immediately put his finger through the kunai, catching it so it spun around his finger. When Naruto touched the ground, he planted his palms on the floor and golden chains erupted from under Itachi's feet.

Itachi jumped up, but Naruto raised an arm and sent a single chain at Itachi.

He saw it hit and immediately disrupted his chakra flow to disperse the genjutsu he knew was on him. He looked around and he felt the cold steel of a kunai on his throat.

"Impressive," Itachi said as he swirled around on his feet to intercept a kunai strike from another Naruto by grabbing his wrist.

"You dispersed the illusion and immediately used the kawarimi, predicting that I'd be behind you. You left a regular bunshin in your place. You're truly resourceful. If you had a genjutsu to use, you may have fooled me," Itachi praised, but to anybody else it wouldn't feel like praise due to the utterly emotionless voice he said it in.

"Oh, my, it seems that I can't fool you, sensei," Naruto said, his smile not dropping.

Itachi's eyes widened as he immediately used a shunshin to escape and a kunai appeared where Naruto was. An explosion went off where they previously were.

'_Before using the kawarimi, he stuck an explosive tag on the ground. I didn't notice it because he created the bunshin over it and then my shadow covered it. He made use of the dim lighting and the fact that I wasn't using my sharingan.'_

"Well, I'm glad you dodged that, sensei," Naruto hummed. "I was afraid that I may have gotten you," Naruto said, leaning forward. "I don't know what I'd do with myself if I accidentally killed you. I'd lose myself in guilt," he said with a pouty tone, but his face still had a grin on it.

"If I got caught by that, I'd deserve to die," Itachi said bluntly.

'_Well, it would be unfortunate,' _Naruto thought. He didn't actually care about Itachi's life, but he still had a lot that he could learn from him.

"Well, that's a little morbid, sensei," Naruto chirped cheerfully, "But I believe we still haven't finished yet, ne?" Naruto said, his eyes opening to reveal cold blue eyes, his smile looking much darker than usual.

Naruto ran at Itachi with a kunai in his hand. Itachi watched impassively, ready to counter, but a golden shuriken appeared in Naruto's other hand and Naruto flicked it past Itachi, whose eyes widened at the new technique. Naruto switched with the shuriken mid air and appeared behind Itachi, falling upside down with his kunai ready to slash. Itachi shunshinned away, masking his movement with crows.

Naruto landed in a handstand and pushed himself back onto his feet and landed in a crouching position.

He pushed backwards, appearing in front Itachi with his back turned to him. Itachi simply watched, curious as to what his student would do. Naruto swept around in a low, standing sweeping kick that Itachi jumped over and then Naruto's arm followed his body movements as he swung the kunai around.

Just as it was about to make contact, Naruto felt a sandaled foot hit the side of his head and he was sent tumbling away.

Naruto stood up, his bangs shadowing his eyes, "You got me," he chuckled.

"That's enough for now, Naruto-kun," Itachi said. Naruto didn't look fatigued as he slipped his hands in his pockets and shrugged his shoulders.

"Sure, whatever you say," Naruto murmured.

Itachi looked at his impassive student. _'He's stronger than I was at his age and I had the sharingan. For what he lacks in power, he makes up for in skill and adaptability. He is about as strong as an average chuunin right now, but he could probably beat a low levelled jounin with his strategy. Even with just five techniques, henge, kawarimi, shunshin, bunshin and his chakra materialisation he is that strong. How utterly fearsome. He won't be a burden on this journey.'_

"We need to be on the move soon," Itachi stated. "We need to get out of the Land of Fire."

"So where are we going? Taki?"

"Yes," Itachi said calmly. "If we go to the Land of Rivers, we could only go to either the Land of Wind or Ame. Neither are a wise decision. Ame is an unknown and Suna is an ally, albeit a weak one of konoha. If we go to Taki, we could go to the Land of Earth. That's where they're least likely to look for us."

"It's logical," Naruto hummed. "I'm going to have to dye my hair first, though. Nothing permanent, just for now."

"Hn."

"How rude," Naruto remarked, "Didn't your mother teach you better?"

Itachi almost glared at Naruto.

'_She'll probably wish she did, anyway. I hardly think killing your own clan is polite' _Naruto thought in amusement.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"What do you mean he's gone!?" Kushina shouted in despair. Tears were streaming down her face.

"Naruto's missing. The hiraishin seal has disappeared," Minato said calmly, his voice cracking a little bit.

"Then find him! He's my baby and he's out there all alone! We have to do something!"

"We don't know who has taken him. The most likely culprit is Itachi… there's no trace of him disappearing at all. His scent has vanished. It's unlikely that he went on his own volition, he's an academy student and the escape was much too professional. Furthermore, I don't see why he would leave, so that means the chances of us finding him are slim."

"...What about Danzo?" she asked shakily.

"I highly doubt it. Despite his methods, he truly wants the best for the village. Kidnapping Naruto, at least at this point in time is not the way to do that. It would cause more panic and weaken konoha even more. No, it was almost definitely Itachi." Minato said. He was trying to stay strong for his wife and keep a composed front, but when your only son is missing, it is rather difficult to do that. He bit the insides of his mouth hard, restraining his pent up tears, frustration and anger. He hated this job.

"Then we need to get him back!"

"We can only search the Land of Fire and allied countries. Our relationship with Kumo and Iwa are bad enough as it is. A few disputes on the border and war will break out."

Kushina sobbed harder, "Then what are we supposed to do!?" she moaned. "And how heartless are you!? Our only son is missing and you don't even care!"

Minato growled, the dam breaking, "You think I don't care!? Of course I care! He's my son, Kushina! I care! I'm also Hokage… do you think I don't want to get my son back from whatever bastard that took him away from us!? You're wrong!" His voice lowered and he stared down into his arms, the tears dripping from his face now. He was only 35, but he felt like he was 60. "But I'm Hokage… I have to put the village in front of my family. All. The. Fucking. Time! So many times, I've wanted to run away. To say 'fuck the village', but I can't and it hurts so much. I had to sacrifice Natsuko, by sealing the kyuubi into her and now my son! Who knows what's going to happen to him?" He gritted his teeth. "And I can't do a damn thing about it, because no matter how much I hate this job… I love the village more."

"You love the village more than your family?" Kushina said angrily.

"To abandon one's village is the same as abandoning a child," Minato muttered.

"You asshole! That also means that abandoning your child is as bad as abandoning your village!"

"It's not like that!" Minato protested.

"It's exactly like that! Kushina shrieked. "I'm done talking to you, you insensitive asshole. You're sleeping on the couch tonight!"

And with that, Kushina stormed off and Minato buried his head into his arms, wondering where he went wrong.

Kushina stormed through the hallway, noticing Natsuko who was frozen, tears running down her face.

"Is it true, kaa-chan? Is otouto really gone?" Natsuko said shakily.

Kushina looked away before kneeling to her daughter's height. "Yes, yes it is… I'm so sorry."

Natsuko cried into her mother's chest. "Then… I'll find him and I'll bring him back. It's… a promise of a lifetime," she said between sobs, but her eyes glinted with a pure determination that could only be found in a child. A determination that could only be achieved by somebody who didn't know the meaning of despair.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Danzo was not pleased.

Konoha had gotten significantly weaker and it was all that Uchiha brat, Itachi's fault. The Uchiha clan had become more controlled under the rule of the Yondaime and were a formidable clan. Their loss was Konoha's loss. He didn't kill all the Uchiha, just most of them, but it was still troublesome nonetheless.

He didn't care for the Uchiha themselves. No, they were dangerous. So susceptible to hatred. That was not a good thing in a world that was crawling with it, but he couldn't deny they were strong.

If he had gotten his hands on an Uchiha baby then he could have trained it to be one of the strongest shinobi in all of konoha, all under his control. But his plan was thwarted. Sure, more Uchiha would be born, but he couldn't just take one whilst they were being restored. That would draw attention on to himself.

He'd have to wait.

That damned brat! He even killed Shisui, his best root agent _and _took his eyes. Those powerful eyes. Danzo wanted them for himself, or at least have them destroyed. They were much too dangerous in the hands of a missing nin.

He did manage to obtain a few sharingan from the dead bodies, though. However, that was a small win in a big loss.

The thing that infuriated Danzo the most was that he even had the audacity to kidnap the fourth's son. Danzo was no fool. He had seen the boy occasionally and immediately felt that he had the potential to be great. To be a true shinobi. Maybe even his successor!

He remembered seeing the boy as a child, before he started using that playful grin. He would never forget those eyes. He had seen them before, in his own members of Root, but that boy possessed them naturally. They showed nothing. No love. No hate. Just pure detachment.

He was a truly remarkable boy. If he had gotten his hands on him, he'd train him personally, teach him the ways of the shinobi and nurture his talent.

But now, even he was out of his reach.

How the mighty Konoha had fallen.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto and Itachi walked through the rainforest, cloaked from head to toe. They had just gotten into the Land of Waterfalls, evading the border patrol with a lot of trouble.

Naruto was especially good at stealth considering his amazing chakra control and versatile use of kawarimi. He could move very quietly and lower his chakra levels to unnoticeable levels and he could soundlessly replace himself tiny objects.

Stealth came naturally to him.

"We've travelled far enough so that we can rest," stated Itachi, looking around his surroundings wearily. Naruto nodded.

"We don't need to rest, though," Naruto reminded Itachi. "We may not get the chance, later, though," Naruto mused out loud, realising why Itachi wanted to rest.

"Correct," Itachi agreed, lowering his hood to reveal his stony features. Naruto followed suit, to reveal his neutral face. His hair was dyed a deep purple for now and he was wearing contact lenses of a pale blue, almost silver colour.

It was a simple disguise, but the simple ones were the best ones.

"Well, that tree looks mighty comfortable, don't you think, sensei?"

"Hn."

"I agree," Naruto smiled. Itachi glanced at his student, something of an annoyed look in his eyes.

"Stay here," Itachi commanded.

"Right here?"

"Yes."

"Well, I'm going over there then," Naruto said, walking over to the tree. Itachi paid no notice of his student trying to get under his skin and vanished in a silent shunshin.

Naruto whistled a jaunty tune.

"How dull," he droned, pulling a kunai out of his pouch and twirling it around his finger. He needed something to preoccupy himself. A new thing to do.

He only left Konoha on a whim. He didn't have any plans but if he did have any plans, becoming a slave to the village was not one of them. He simply wanted to amuse himself. Nothing more, nothing less.

He had his fun with Itachi, maybe he could get some more. He didn't know if Itachi killed Sasuke, but if he didn't, he could have some fun with him in the future.

There was a whole world filled with hatred. So many opportunities, so little time.

Speaking of hatred, Naruto could feel some somewhere with his ability to sense negative emotions.

Strange, he couldn't sense anything normally.

Well, that wouldn't do. He would just have to find out what that was.

He flicked the kunai, using his newfound ability to channel wind chakra to enhance the kunai. It sailed through a tree and planted itself in the one behind. A small figure shimmied in the air like a phantom and Naruto gave a breathy chuckle.

"Oh my, I didn't expect that," Naruto purred. He swapped places with the kunai and stuck himself to the tree using chakra.

He looked at his observer and found it was a small lizard. It was a deep green, with specks of orange and it had small eyes. Its back was an arch shape and it had four legs and a medium length tail.

"And what are you doing spying on me, little lizard," Naruto hummed playfully.

"I'm not a lizard, I'm a chameleon!" the creature hissed.

"Oh my, oh me, I really didn't expect that," Naruto smiled. "A talking chameleon. How interesting."

"Drop the nice guy act _human _I can see right through you."

"Oh you wound me, chameleon-san." Naruto whined clutching his heart.

"My kind focuses on blending in… seeing through a facade as weak as yours is a simple task."

"Hmm," Naruto looked into the sky. "That's certainly impressive, chameleon-san," Naruto said, unfazed. "But what makes you think that this is a facade? I never claimed to be a nice guy," Naruto said, his eyes softening and his smile becoming a lot more benevolent.

"Tch, you won't fool me,"

"No, I won't, but I've always found smiles to be much more versatile than a frown or a scowl. Plus, I think it makes me look a lot more handsome, wouldn't you agree?"

"You're a child, a _human _child. Why would I find you handsome?" the chameleon shot back irritatedly.

"You may have just ruined my day," Naruto said without a trace of sincerity. The creature snorted, "Tell me, why do you treat humans with such disdain… so much hatred." Naruto asked

The chameleon would have scowled if it could. "Humans are such destructive creatures. They ruin the flow of nature, destroy habitats and then destroy each other. How could I not treat such a vulgar race with disdain?"

"That's mostly true," Naruto admitted, without a concern.

"Mostly?"

"Yes, mostly," Naruto said with finality. "You claim that humans ruin the flow of nature," Naruto quoted. He looked into the sky. "I must disagree."

"You're a human, of course you wouldn't believe that."

"Maybe so… or maybe it's because I abandoned my humanity that I believe what I believe"

"What!?"

"Tell me, chameleon-san, how do you define nature?" Naruto asked with a gentle smile, ignoring the chameleon's outburst.

"..." The chameleon couldn't answer. Nature was nature right?

"The world in it's untouched state? No human creations? No living creatures and just the landscapes? No humans?"

"..."

"You can't define nature can you? You can clutch at straws, call it a phenomenon or whatever you want, but you can't really describe it can you? What's natural, what's unnatural? A natural thing is something that is not artificial… but everything in this world is an illusion, a fake. Serenity, peace, love. How do you define artificial in a world where nothing truly exists?"

"Where are you going with this?"

Naruto spoke in a quiet, calm monotone that completely contradicted what he was saying, "We shouldn't be asking what nature is, but rather, what is the nature of nature? And the nature of nature is… to destroy. Nutrition, shelter, warmth, they all require something to be destroyed. For this, I believe that humans are the epitome of nature. The civilisations we live on were built on the fallen civilisations our ancestors lived on. We destroy and then build on what is destroyed only for what is built to be destroyed again. The process repeats and repeats and nothing ever changes. This is true for every species… humans more so than any other though. What makes humans the epitome of nature is not the scale on what we do this, though, that is impressive too…" Naruto smiled cheerfully.

"It's that we do it without even realising. It's simply… in our nature."

The summon paused and mulled over the words. An awkward silence broke out between the two, Naruto's smile not dropping a little bit, "Tch… human," the chameleon scoffed, but Naruto could tell that it had no idea what to think right now. Truly, he only said that to confuse him. Nature did have a clear definition but on the spot, you can't really think of it.

You could speak a load of nonsense that sounded vaguely philosophical and have people thinking for hours. It wasn't about what you said, it was about how you said it. If you sounded like you truly believed in it, then the person you are sprouting these incessant ramblings to must at least give it some credibility, since it was able to get you to believe it.

Naruto only wanted to waste some time… maybe he'd even get a summon contract out of this. Who knows?

"Well, whatever, it doesn't matter, anyway," Naruto chirped. "It was fun talking with you, chameleon-san." Naruto said politely. He hopped off the tree and staked off to where he was standing before.

The lizard looked at the boy with curious eyes. He was different to other humans. Maybe even worth allowing to become a summoner for his kind? He'd have to tell his father about this interesting boy; he even somehow managed to detect him, that was practically impossible to do.

The chameleon summons were perfect at stealth. They could turn invisible, mask their scent and make their chakra signatures invisible. For an 8 year old boy to detect him… that was astounding.

He'd keep an eye on this child.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"I was starting to think you abandoned your poor, little student in this big, bad forest, sensei," Naruto pouted. Itachi gave him a deadpan stare, but Naruto's facial expression didn't change at all.

"You shouldn't look so disappointed, sensei!"

Itachi narrowed his eyes slightly and gave Naruto a small glare, "Hn."

"Such a scary face."

Itachi did not respond. What had gotten his panties in a bundle? Oh, yeah, he'd just killed his own clan.

Naruto's smile nearly burst off his face.

"I found a good place to rest, follow me," Itachi droned. Naruto nodded.

"Lead the way," Naruto gestured. Itachi hopped into a tree and Naruto followed after him, drifting through the trees like a gentle gust of wind. He relished in the feeling of Itachi's hatred as he stalked at him, looking at his back. Naruto twirled a kunai around his finger as he jumped nonchalantly in a repetitive circle again and again.

Itachi hopped down into a clearing and Naruto followed suit, sitting next to him.

There was a small pile of firewood bunched in the middle of the clearing, looking eager to be burned.

Itachi lit it up with a small fire jutsu and Naruto gave him a questioning glance.

"We won't be detected," Itachi said, answering the unanswered question. Naruto nodded and then proceeded to blow a small gust of wind over the fire with basic wind manipulation, making it blaze ever so slightly hotter and more erratically.

"I'm just adding a little fuel to the fire," Naruto said calmly. He gave an opened eyed smile that lacked any of the playfulness or kindness of his previous smiles, "A fire is at its most magnificent as it burns the brightest."

Itachi looked stoically at the erratically swaying ball of heat, "Yes." he agreed.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

It was the next morning and Naruto and itachi both woke up at exactly the same time. They blinked the sleep out of their eyes and nodded to each other. Naruto's icy blue contact lense covered eyes scanned a distanced area in the tree line and his eyes narrowed. A golden shuriken formed in between his fingers.

"What's the matter, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto made the shuriken retreat and all traces of caution and concern were wiped off his face.

"Nothing, sensei, I just thought I sensed somebody, but it was the chakra signature of a man eating tiger," Naruto said without a twitch. Itachi nodded in acceptance, not tracing a lie in Naruto's eyes.

"We'll split off for now," Itachi said. "You can't stay dependant on me and we need to make some money. I recommend you take some missions. You shouldn't have any problems getting jobs using henge."

"Leaving me all alone in this big, bad forest? You're a pretty mean person, Itachi-sensei."

"Hn, I can't coddle you. Keep up with your training, I want you to cut a rock, or a waterfall if you can." Itachi paused. "Only take basic jobs like clearing out bandit camps for now."

"Well, it can't be helped," Naruto sighed dramatically. He looked at the floor for a second, before looking up with a big grin. "Ta ta, sensei, until we meet again."

"We'll meet in granite village near the border of the Land of Stone in exactly two weeks at 2:30pm."

"Stay safe, sensei. I'd hate for you to get killed or something."

And with that, Naruto hopped away in the trees one by one. His movements not alerting any living thing to his presence. He jumped through the trees for 15 minutes and eventually came to a stop. He stood in the tree branch and looked back with a playful expression on his face.

"And pray tell, why you are following me?" Naruto asked seemingly nobody.

"Tch… human," a voice said. Naruto looked in a nearby tree and smiled when he saw a familiar chameleon.

"Oh, chameleon-san, what a pleasant surprise! What brings you here today?"

"I've been watching you for a while," the lizards said.

"I know," Naruto said nonchalantly.

"So detecting me yesterday was not a fluke?"

"You may be able to completely hide your presence, but you can't hide your feelings," Naruto said cryptically. The lizard gave him an appraising look.

"Interesting human…" he trailed off. "I have a proposition for you."

"Do tell."

"Beat me in a game of hide and seek and I'll let you become our summoner." The chameleon said with a hard look in his eyes.

Naruto gave the creature a flat stare before tilting his head back. "Hahaha," he laughed lowly. "That sounds like fun. I've never played hide and seek before." He gave a mock bow, "Please treat me well!"

"Are you mocking me?"

"Of course not. I wouldn't dare mock you or your kindness. Although, there is one thing I am wondering about. Why would you be willing to accept a summoner? You hate humans."

"Smart kid," the summon remarked. "We've never had a summoner before and of course, that's a problem, because we are summon creatures. The summoning realm is inhabited by many different summons: wolves, panthers, toads, slugs, monkeys, snakes, and many many more. We each inhabit a part of the land, the more powerful the species are, the more land they have. However, land can't come from nowhere and as a species gains power, land from others is taken."

Naruto nodded, "So to gain more power, I presume you need summoners."

The chameleon nodded. "Very astute," he complimented. "More precisely, powerful summoners. Our kind doesn't really care for power, but our land is slowly being taken and eventually, we'll have none left."

"So why choose me? I'm still a child," Naruto pointed out. _'And what if I don't want a summoning contract with you?' _he thought, but refrained from saying because he did want a summoning contract with the chameleons. Stealth on that level had almost limitless opportunities.

"I can see your potential; you will grow strong. You're still a child and you were able to detect me. You're not like other humans, either. Despite our desperate situation, we will not take just anybody as a summoner."

"Well, that is truly flattering," Naruto smiled politely. "Before we start, would you mind telling me your name, chameleon-san?"

"I'll tell you if you can become our new summoner."

"Alright," Naruto agreed. "So, what are the rules?"

"You'll hide from me," the chameleon said. "I'll give you ten seconds to hide. If you can evade me for 10 minutes, then you win."

"Ten seconds? So mean," Naruto pouted.

"You're a ninja, get used to it. I'm starting now." As soon as he said that, Naruto vanished in a shunshin inside the foliage and then used a handy kawarimi to go somewhere completely random.

"Sneaky human," the chameleon grumbled.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"I believe that I win," Naruto hummed, appearing behind the chameleon.

The chameleon let out a smirk. Finally, a new summoner!

"You did," the chameleon praised. "So, I'll tell you my name. I am Yuurei."

"How fitting," Naruto commented. "I'm Naruto, pleased to make your acquaintance. On a side note, I am a blonde in reality."

Yuurei deadpanned at his new summoner. "And why do I need to know that?"

"Well, we're all just trying to make friends here, ne?"

"You're weird."

"I also didn't want you to be frozen by my natural charm when I finally get rid of this hair dye. I am a really considerate person, Yuurei-san, I don't just think about myself."

The chameleon rolled its eyes and popped in a puff of smoke back to its summon realm to report back to the boss.

"Well, today has already shapened up to be an eventful day," Naruto mused out loud, whistling a jaunty tune as he sat down in the trees.

**Well, this chapter shows more of Naruto's personality - now that he is no longer bound by Konoha he doesn't have to be so subtle about his crueller and more trollish tendencies. Sorry I didn't show more evulz, but I just wanted to show how his departure affected things in Konoha. I hope I kept my characters in character for the most part, except for the obvious of course.**

**I'm not exactly the smartest person in the world, so Naruto's speeches and stuff may be a little shitty, but we're all just trying to learn and if you wanted Naruto to have bloodlines upon bloodlines along with roid enhanced demon training and stuff like that, it's not happening. I wanted to write a really shinobi-like Naruto this time, so instead of fighting with raw power, he fights with skill, speed, psychology and misdirection. I thought it would be interesting.**

**Feel free to review ^_^**


	3. A Step Into The Inferno

**I don't own Naruto or anything of the sort.**

Naruto stood in the middle of a group of tents, carriages and goods. The area was a bandit camp that he had been 'paid' to destroy. Really, he was just allowed to loot the camp… which he would have done anyway, but it's always nice to ask, right? Bandits were terrorising a village near the border of the country and they could not inform the Taki shinobi because they couldn't even leave the village. Under a henge, Naruto had infiltrated the village and offered to take care of it for them.

Hence why he was here, the whole camp painted red in blood, his henge dropped, revealing his temporarily purple spiky hair and icy blue eyes. He had taken out his contacts because they were uncomfortable. His grin hadn't dropped at all as he looked around the camp. There were dead bodies strewn about almost carelessly. They would be drowning in a puddle of their own blood if they were alive.

"Hehehe," Naruto chuckled, looking around the camp with thinly veiled mirth.

"They didn't even notice a thing," Naruto said with a smile. eyeing at a splat of blood that was on his arm. "Wow, I got a little dirty, how unfortunate," he said with his usual cheerful tone.

He sighed as he looked at all the dead bodies on the floor, "They always say the first kill is the hardest," he took a few steps forward, inhaling with a deep breath. He took in the irony smell of the blood and his grin grew unsettlingly wide, considering the setting. "I don't see why."

'_Now, now, how do I deal with this?' _Naruto thought, looking at the camp. He couldn't just leave the dead bodies here, that would be rather unpleasant. He was an asshole, but he was a polite asshole. He couldn't just let this place smell out the whole area. He didn't know any fire techniques, either.

That was a bummer.

Well, he'd collect his payment here. The leader of the village did say he could take what he could find and then he would find a way to destroy this camp. He idly felt some people with strong negative emotions in the area. Fear, hatred, sadness.

Well, that wouldn't do.

He walked off in the direction, simply avoiding any blood on the floor that he could. He walked into the direction of a brown coloured tent that was rather large. He slowly but surely took low, cautious, predatorial steps into the tent and his eyebrows rose. There were lots of women tied up, one that stood out to him was a white haired woman with deep green eyes. She was gagged and her life was fading away steadily, Naruto could tell. A strange glint appeared in Naruto's eyes but disappeared as soon as it appeared.

Naruto's smile turned a little less unsettling and a lot more gentle, his eyes losing their coldness in an instant. He reached for a kunai from his pouch and cut off their gags on by one, earning concerned and curious looks.

A brown haired woman coughed. "Thank you…" she said, tears running down her face. Naruto just aimed a gentle smile at her. She got a proper look at him and her eyes went wide.

"A child!? What are you doing here? Get out, they'll find you, too!"

"Who's they?" he asked innocently. "You mean those bad guys!?"

She nodded hurriedly, almost hyperventilating. "My Tou-san took care of them! He told me to come get you! I'm gonna be a ninja, y'know!" Naruto chirped.

"Really!?" she asked. Naruto bobbed his head upside down, looking like a chipmunk on a sugar rush. They were crying tears of relief.

"Thank God," She said, Naruto gave a thumbs up.

"No problem! If I'm going to be a ninja then I'll have to do everything I can to help get rid of bad guys like that!"

Inwardly, though, he was thinking. _'What am I going to do with them? The leader didn't give me any instructions to bring them back… and I can't really be bothered to take them back… I'll just kill them'_

Naruto turned his gaze to the weak white haired woman. "Are you okay miss? Do you need some water!?" he said frantically.

She weakly shook her head. "No… I'm going away." she said cryptically. So she was dying. Not hard to figure out. "If you see my son, tell him I love him… his name is Kosuke… he's young like you and he's got my hair and eyes." she said, coughing.

Naruto tilted his head, "What do you mean, 'going away' miss?"

"I'm going to a place far away…"

Naruto slowly crouched and put one of his hands on the ground. "But why?" he said, looking down, his hair shadowing his eyes.

"Because-," she was interrupted by golden chains sprouting from the ground and piercing through all the hostages except for her, killing them instantly.

Her eyes went wide and Naruto's grin turned dark, the shadows almost suffocating his face.

"What-!?"

"I'll find your son, don't worry, miss, It's a promise of a lifetime!" he said and a cold feeling washed over her as he opened his eyes and stared into hers.

She froze.

"I'll tell him the truth," _'I'll show him the truth...'_ he said in mock reassurance. "You can count on me. After all," He grinned lopsidedly . "There's nothing stronger than a mother's love." _'love and hate are like yin and yang. One can't exist without the other.'_

She realised that situation. This child - no this monster- had just killed innocent women for nothing else but his own amusement. What had she gotten her son into? An intense feeling of hatred spewed out of her like steam from boiling water.

'_That's it. Hate me. Loathe me.'_

"If you do anything to my son I'l-," she said, gaining a burst of strength from her weak body. She was interrupted by a kunai planting between her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you." Naruto said, his normal smile coming back on to his face. "Care to repeat that?" he looked at her dead body for a few seconds. "Oh you can't. Sorry, I forgot. You're dead." He poked her dead body with his toe and his smile grew. He then turned away, not looking back. He stretched his limbs nimbly and looked into the sky before straightening up and unsealing his travelling cloak from a scroll he pulled from a pocket in his trousers. He slung it over his shoulders casually, "Well, time doesn't wait for anybody."

Naruto walked out the tent and scoured the camp for anything valuable. He mostly took money and supplies, sealing them into scrolls. After he was done, he gazed around the camp briefly and spotted a metal canister of something and he locked on to it.

Pulling a kunai out of his sleeve, he stabbed a hole in it and took a small whiff of the liquid in it.

"Well, that solves one problem," he muttered, trying to pick up the can, but he was too small to do it. "Hmmm," he hummed. He pulled a flask from his kunai pouch and poured out the water. Tipping the barrel to the side, he slowly filled up the flask, spilling fuel around it a little. He didn't care, though. It would just go up in flames.

He poured the fuel out of his flask onto the ground in a line and sighed. "Well, this will take a while."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto looked at the massive trail of fuel on the ground with a glint in his eyes. The sky had gotten dark and the bodies had started smelling a bit. Naruto had a lit match in his hand and he prepared some chakra his legs to shunshin away.

He dropped the match and then vanished, leaving the fire to burn.

It started off as a little flicker, the flame was a lone child in the middle of a crowd of fuel. Slowly, but surely it spread to the sides, crawling primitively like an ape. The flame sprinted forward and got bigger and bigger slowly, swallowing up the fuel viciously and spreading like an infectious disease. The heat got more intense, almost making the surrounding tents evaporate like a liquid.

Naruto watched from a distance as everything was burnt down without discrimination. He had a blank look in his face, his mouth slightly open as he was transfixed on the scene.

The knee height flames rose up higher and higher as Naruto heard an explosion in there, soon the whole camp was swallowed in a hellish blazing inferno. It consumed every dead body and everything without hesitation. Uncontrollable and dangerous. It spread to the surrounding trees and nature and repeated its action causing chaos to tear through the area.

Naruto watched it, the fire reflecting off his eyes. _'Just a little fuel is all it takes to turn a small flame into a scorching inferno' _He thought in wonder He turned away jumped off, not wanting to deal with the aftermath. He made his way back to the village hastily. they were a good distance away so the fire wouldn't spread there for a while, it was travelling away from the village and when it did…

Well, whatever happens, happens.

He could just go and never look back, but he had a promise to keep.

And Uzumaki Naruto never broke a promise…

'_Well, that's a lie.'_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto walked through the streets with his hands in his pockets. Everybody looked slightly fearful and anxious as if something was coming for them. He didn't bother telling anybody that he had taken care of the bandits. It was fun to watch them squirm. They would just assume that the guy who offered to kill the bandits got killed in the process.

"Those bastards took my daughter," he head a voice say.

"Shh… they might hear you."

The street was almost bare, everybody had retreated to their homes and everybody who was out looked cautious and wary.

They were living in fear. Naruto could feel it with his ability to sense negative emotions. Even though the bandits were gone, they were still scared.

Well, they didn't know that the bandits were gone, but details, eh?.

Naruto spotted the glow of the fire in the distance and turned away from it wordlessly, not wanting to bring it to attention. It was likely that they wouldn't notice until it was too late.

Naruto scoured the streets for a while, hoping to see a flash of white or something. He sighed as he couldn't see a thing. He neared a lake and scouted out there with his beady eyes.

There.

There was a flash of white hair as spiky as his own. He looked closer and saw a boy of about 6 or 7. He was hugging his knees and looking at the lake almost wistfully. Naruto was almost sure that he was the boy the woman was talking about. Her son.

Well, he had some work to do then.

He approached the child with a look of concern on his face. The boy didn't even notice him as he took a seat next to him.

"Hey, why are you sad!?" Naruto exclaimed with bright eyes. The boy slowly looked up with tear stained cheeks.

"W-Who are you?" the boy asked shakily.

"My name's Yahiko," Naruto lied smoothly. He had a bright smile on his face. "What's yours?"

"K-Kosuke," he stuttered. Naruto beamed at him.

"Kosuke-san? I'll remember that! Do you wanna play?"

"N-no, I have to find my kaa-san," he said. He traced circles in the ground with his finger.

"Find your kaa-san?" Naruto asked. "I'll help!"

"R-really?"

"Yeah! What does she look like?"

"She's really pretty. She long white hair and green eyes just like mine!"

"Really?" Naruto asked, "I'll definitely help you find her then!"

"Thanks! Anytime I ask any adults, they just ignore me…"

"That's not nice," Naruto said. "Grown ups are so mean… But I'll help you! It's what friends do, right?"

"Friends…?" _'I just met him'_

Naruto scratched his cheek nervously, "I've never had any friends before… you're the first other kid I talked to before," Naruto admitted. "That means we're friends, whether you like it or not!"

A warm feeling spread through Kosuke's stomach. Friend… that sounded nice.

"Okay, Yahiko-san, we're friends now! So you'll help me!?"

"Yeah! Where did you last see your kaa-san?"

Kosuke frowned. "I don't know… I just woke up one day and she was gone," he admitted.

"Well that's no good." Naruto punched a fist against his open palm. "We need clues and stuff! Let's find some!"

Kosuke smiled.

"Yeah, lets!"

'_Easy...'_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto and Kosuke crept outside the village, avoiding all the gazes of the adults. That wouldn't do.

"Let's look in the forest, she might be lost in there!"

Kosuke nodded and ran off into the forest.

"Wait up, Kosuke-san!" Naruto said, running off after him and coming up side to side.

"We don't have any time to waste! Let's go!" Kosuke said.

"Okay," Naruto smiled. "Let's find your kaa-san!"

"Yeah!" Kosuke exclaimed, looking around wondrously. The forest was big, trees towered over their childish forms, causing shadows to swallow up the small boys. There was an odd growl sounding around the area and in the trees, birds were swallowing worms whole. Deep browns and dark greens were the colours that saturated the area. There was a faint smoky scent lingering around the area and the boys could just feel the humidity of the area.

Naruto looked behind a tree. "She's not here!" he announced. Kosuke did the same, looking behind another tree.

"She's not here," Kosuke frowned.

"Don't worry, we'll find her, don't worry! Let's not split up or we'll get lost."

Kosuke nodded. "Okay, Yahiko-san," he said, walking in front of Naruto a little. For a brief second, Naruto's face turned sinister with a malicious smirk on his face, but it vanished as soon as it appeared.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
**

Naruto and Kosuke were scouring the forest, looking around. Naruto could practically feel the heat blazing from the fire and he saw the smoke pouring in the distance. Kosuke had noticed it and they went to 'investigate'. Naruto had assured Kosuke that nothing was wrong and the boy had believed Naruto.

Kosuke was out of breath and tired. The heat had definitely gotten more intense and Naruto could hear the crackling of flames. Kosuke was scared.

"Let's just walk for now, ne?" Naruto said as he slowed his pace.

"Okay, Yahiko-san!"

They walked in a comfortable silence, the air getting drier and the heat getting hotter. Kosuke had a downtrodden expression on his face. The smoke was almost flooding through the trees. Naruto could see it in the distance, but Kosuke couldn't. The wind was blowing the smoke away, but it still managed to travel towards them at a snail's pace.

"Hey, Kosuke-san, want to hear a story?"

Kosuke's head shot up and he looked at Naruto curiously. "Yeah," he said with a small smile. Yahiko-san was the best. He was glad to have a friend like him. He had just met him, yet he was willing to help his kaa-san. Most of the adults in the village ignored him and were so gloomy, but Yahiko was so cheerful, so carefree. He was fun to be around.

He was also Kosuke's first friend… and that felt nice.

"Hmm, okay," Naruto hummed. He scratched his chin. He looked up and made a subtle sound that suggested that he had remembered a story.

"Here's a good one," Naruto said cheerfully

"There was a little bug, all alone in the forest," Naruto started. "He couldn't find his parents. One day, they just left and were nowhere to be seen. There wasn't a note. There wasn't a message. There was nothing. For the first time in his life, the little bug was alone." Kosuke listened carefully, the story had hit a few sore spots so far, but maybe it had a good ending?

"The bug didn't like it at all. He didn't have anybody to tuck him in at night, to kiss him when he got hurt, to tell him off when he did something wrong. He was lonely… so he decided to take off on an adventure to find his parents. He searched far and wide, high and low, every nook and cranny… but he couldn't find them." Naruto looked forward, but Kosuke's eye were glued onto the older boy.

"Behind every rock. Under every pebble, in the inside of every hollow of every tree. There was nothing."

"And then what happened?" Kosuke asked in curiosity, almost desperation, "Did he find them?"

Naruto ignored Kosuke's outburst. His eyes were open and staring forwards, his face was completely blank. His voice became monotone. Kosuke was unsettled by this. Yahiko-san was always happy, always smiling.

"But what the little bug didn't know was that his parents were watching him wander around looking for them. They watched for days and for nights but they never ever showed themselves. They watched him cry on his own and go to bed cold and alone every night…" Kosuke was shivering.

"Do you know why they didn't show themselves, Kosuke?"

"...No," he said. "Tell me."

"Because they didn't love their son. They hated him. They wanted to watch him die alone…"

Kosuke froze in horror. _'Does kaa-san hate me?_'

"Would you be willing to die for you kaa-san…? If that's what she _really _wanted. If it would make her smile. She doesn't smile anymore, does she? Don't you want her to be happy?"

Kosuke was wide eyed and scared. Could he do that?

"But that's just a story," Naruto said softly with his head tilted to the side and a lopsided grin on his face. His eyes were open, but slightly squinted as he watched Kosuke hyperventilate.

He noticed the smoke thicken more and more, eventually spilling into where they were standing. The smoldering flames tore through the close proximity and black smoke was pouring off it.

"We've got to go," Naruto said calmly, almost tauntingly. Kosuke stared up and was transfixed by the alluring fire that was approaching them. It must have been about 500 feet away. He slowly took a step forward, meeting the flames as they approached him.

"Oh my," Naruto said, with his customary grin back on his face. "Don't do that, Kosuke-kun, it's dangerous." He said in a chiding tone. "You're ignoring me? That's really impolite, you might just make me cry."

Kosuke didn't even register Naruto's words as he stalked towards the flame. It looked so… enticing. _'Maybe kaa-san doesn't love me… maybe I should just die' _he thought.

"You're not going to listen? It's a shame. Well, don't stay out here too long, you might just get a sunburn… and always remember, don't play with fire or you might just get burned."

And with that warning issued, Naruto vanished, leaving Kosuke to his fate.

And just like that he was swallowed by a sea of fire mercilessly.

Naruto chuckled lowly as he stood, watching the scene from a distance. "Well I warned him."

The kid didn't even give Naruto a chance to give him his mother's message.

How rude.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto bathed himself in a river silently. He washed his body of all the dirt and grime that he could. A satisfied sigh left Naruto's lips as he enjoyed the feeling of being clean. He looked up into the night sky and saw the moon looking down on him.

Naruto looked at it with his detached eyes.

'_It's just like everything else… constantly moving in circles, giving the illusion that it's changing in form, but it's really just the same. When one rotation ends, another begins and only the people who are willing to look even notice...'_

He looked down at his hand to see runny purple hair dye on it. Naruto sighed. His hair dye was running out… oh well. He would just get rid of it for now.

He ducked his head under the water and ruffled his hair, causing purple colouring to slowly rise from underneath the water. Naruto resurfaced, gasping for breath and his golden blonde hair was back to normal, but it was slicked down, stuck to his forehead.

Naruto slicked his wet hair back through his fingers, glancing down into the water.

He froze.

There was a reflection of him… but it wasn't him at all. It had green, scaly skin, the same hair style in black and dark eyes with crimson red orbs.

It was a monster.

Naruto looked at it without blinking, almost transfixed.

"Cause… chaos." he heard a voice in his head say. "Burn… kill," he said more forcefully. Naruto clasped his head in pain, screwing his eyes shut. "Then… you can obtain what you never had."

He opened them again, breathing heavily and looked back into his reflection once more.

But it was back to normal…

"How strange," he gasped out. He had feelings like that every once in a while. He couldn't forget the first time it ever happened.

_**Flashback**_

_A four year old Natsuko and Naruto were at the park. Natsuko was playing in a sandpit and Naruto was sitting alone on a swing, his face unusually blank. He saw his mother standing by the side of him with a hand on his shoulder._

"_Go on, Naru-chan, play with your sister," she encouraged gently. Naruto looked up at her._

"_Why?" He asked in genuine confusion. Kushina frowned._

"_What do you mean 'why'? We're at a park, have some fun,-ttebane!" she exclaimed, almost childishly. Naruto nodded mutely and stood up, walking over towards his sister and sitting next to her._

"_Onee-sama," Naruto said, looking into her eyes. She almost shivered. He was looking right at her, but it almost seemed that he was looking right past her, his eyes were cold and half lidded and his mouth slightly open. He looked like somebody had given him some sort of drug._

"_N-Naruto," she smiled shakily. _

'_What's this feeling that's coming from her?' Naruto thought in confusion._

'_His face is scary…' She thought. He was still her little brother and she loved him, but she couldn't deny that the look on his face scared her._

"_How are you doing, Onee-sama?"_

_She regained her composure and smiled brightly. "I'm making sandcastles. Want to help?"_

_Naruto nodded once, "Yes," he said quietly._

"_Okay! You have to get the sand in the…" she frowned, picking up the bucket. "The thing! And then you put it on the sand…"_

"_Okay," Naruto said blankly, staring at the sand._

"_Natsuko-sama," he heard the voice of an adult say with a smile. "Naruto-sama."_

_Naruto looked up slowly, getting a look at the man. He had slicked back brown hair black eyes. He was wearing some sort of business suit and he had a kind smile on his face._

"_Hello, sir," Naruto said. The man looked at him with a smile._

"_What a polite young man," he said, but it didn't feel right to Naruto. He could feel a strange emotion coming from him. It felt dark… and angry, but it wasn't directed at him._

"_Hi, old man!" Natsuko chirped. Naruto felt the feeling intensify, but the smile never dropped off the man's face._

"_It's nice to meet you, Natsuko-sama," he said benevolently. Naruto eyed him with curiosity. That smile didn't fit his face at all, but it seemed to have Natsuko fooled. There was no way he was being genuine, but his smile was settling to people._

"_I just wanted to meet the twins of our great Hokage," the man smiled._

"_Okay, it was nice to meet you, sir," Naruto said calmly. The man walked off, not before catching Kushina's eye quietly. He hoped he had made a good impression on her; she was the Hokage's wife after all and he wanted to make a good impression on the family._

_Naruto watched him go with clouded eyes. Maybe he could get a smile like that. People always gave him weary looks._

_But what was that feeling?_

_Such a strong feeling… how was that even possible. He just felt empty all the time. Even though the feeling was unsettling… it made him feel complete. He wanted to feel more of it, even if it wasn't directed at him. It was so powerful, so intriguing._

_Why couldn't he feel that?_

_He shook himself out of his thoughts as he carried on playing with his sister in the sandpit. She was so cheerful and so happy. He watched her for hours and hours. Her smile, her tone of voice… he committed it to his memory._

"_Come on kids… it's time to go," Kushina said. Naruto nodded subtly but Natsuko protested._

"_But kaa-chan, I'm having so much fun!" she said. "I don't wanna go home!"_

_Kushina smiled happily. "But we have to. I'm making ramen for dinner, -ttebane!" _

_Natsuko perked up, "What are we waiting for let's go!" she shouted, rushing up to Kushina and grabbing her hand. Kushina laughed at her daughter's exuberant disposition. Naruto walked to her at a much more sedate pace and hesitantly grabbed her other hand. Kushina smiled and walked off._

_As they walked, Naruto looked at all those smiling faces… greeting the Hokage's wife, greeting Natsuko, greeting him. So nice and polite, but Naruto could feel that they all had that strange feeling in them, especially directed at Natsuko. He looked at her and his mother. They didn't seem to notice it._

_Naruto looked all around him as his eyes widened minutely. All the population no longer looked like humans to him…_

_They were monsters._

_Skins of various unnatural colours, reds, purples, blacks replaced the normally kind looking citizens of Konoha. Naruto saw horns on their heads and they all had sharp teeth and demonic looking eyes. Naruto's grip around his mother's hand tightened slightly as he looked all around him anxiously. The sky became dark as he started to hyperventilate. His eyes showed the first genuine feeling ever: panic._

_Naruto felt truly lost. What was going on. What were these monsters…? He looked around slowly with stretched eyes and saw a fire burning inside of everybody's stomach like he had could see into them._

"_Naruto!" he heard a voice say. He slowly looked up to see the worried look of his mother._

"_Okaa-sama," he said weakly, shaking out of his stupor. He looked around to see everybody worrying about him. Some people didn't even notice and were still trading goods and talking to each other about current affairs. He looked around in confusion. What was going on?_

"_What's wrong?" she asked. "You suddenly started shaking."  
_

_He looked up at her worried violet eyes for a second before replying. "Nothing, Okaa-sama," he said dismissively. She gave him a stern look before nodding._

"_Alright, but I'm telling your father about this."_

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

_Naruto looked in the mirror with blank eyes._

'_Like this?' he thought. His lips twitched up in a smile that didn't meet his eyes at all. His face smoothed out once again and the smile was a little larger. It was still unconvincing, though._

"_No… her eyes were like this," he murmured, cracking a closed eye grin at the mirror, he opened his eyes slightly and to him his face looked completely plastic._

_He opened his eyes fully and leaned forwards looking in the mirror intently with his blank face. He didn't blink, didn't breathe…_

_The image in the mirror. It was him, but it wasn't him at the same time. His soulless eyes peered into the depths of it once again and the image slowly started morphing. Green skin, black hair and crimson ghostly eyes. He looked at it in fascination, reaching out to touch the image gingerly. His hand brushed against the image of his 'reflection' but he couldn't quite grasp it._

_It was in his reach, but no matter what he did he could never quite get a hold of it._

_Was this monster… his humanity?_

_He blinked and the image was gone again. Gently clawing at the mirror wistfully, nothing ever happened. He looked down into the sink briefly before looking up and cracking a small grin with his eyes closed._

_It felt right._

_Naruto spent a good hour practicing the smile before calling it a day._

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

Naruto stared up into the sky with his clouded blue eyes, a dark smile gracing his features.

"This world is a pit of darkness…"

He looked down at his hands with a strange expression as they clutched tightly.

"I want to be suffocated by it."

**Right, this was a shorter chapter. The next chapter will be about the same length, too. This is basically still an introductory arc and everything. The chameleon contract is not the same one that was in the anime, I didn't even know that existed until a reviewer mentioned it. In this story, Naruto will reveal his superficial thoughts pretty much all the time, but his deeper thoughts are deliberately ambiguous. He gives some insight on how his mind works and his views on certain topics, but his thoughts are intentionally ambivalent and his motives behind the things he does won't become clear until everything falls into place and sometimes he does things for the sake of doing them... Like in this chapter.**


	4. Unshackling The Beast

**I'm happy with all the positive comments! I'll try to keep it enjoyable for you all. This chapter is still sort of the 'introductory' stage. I'm just developing and expanding on Itachi and Naruto's relationship. Next chapter is the start of everything... and how Naruto works.**

**I don't own Naruto.**

Uchiha Itachi jumped from tree to tree at a rapid pace, his eyes set forward. It had been two weeks since he and Naruto had split up. He wanted to see how far he had come in his training. He was his sensei, so it was his responsibility that Naruto became strong. Strong enough to challenge him. He had to give him some breathing room, though, some time to find out new things himself.

It would be no challenge if he knew everything Naruto could do.

He wasn't a fool. He knew that he couldn't fully trust Naruto; somebody who could change their whole demeanour instantly was not somebody who could be trusted. Still, that's why he could relate to Naruto, because Naruto also knew that he couldn't fully trust Itachi.

They were shinobi.

That's what made Itachi want to pursue training him further: he had potential… and if, no, when, the time came, he wouldn't hold back.

Even though he couldn't fully trust Naruto, he was still a friend. He was one of the only people he could consider a friend...

Other than Shisui.

His mangekyou sharingan flared briefly, showing a new design. There was his three pronged pinwheel in red over Shisui's black four pointed shuriken design.

The eternal mangekyou sharingan.

He had hypnotised a doctor into implanting them for him and killed him afterwards. It took him about a week to find a doctor good enough to do it. He briefly entertained the idea of getting Tsunade of the sannin to do it for him, but that was not a good idea. She was a drunken old woman with a fear of blood _and _she was a Senju. Itachi held no grudge against the Senju, but she probably wasn't to fond of the Uchiha.

She was also 'loyal' to the leaf technically.

No, that wouldn't do.

Seeing the tree line in his line of sight ending, he jumped from the trees and down onto the path silently, like a cat and slowed his pace into a rhythmic, consistent walk, his cloak covering his features. He took a look around where the tree line ended and stared into the distance as the landscape changed abruptly.

The dank humid forest came to an end and his vision was assaulted by pictures of dry stone, rocky mountains and dusty brown colours. He looked up under his hooded cloak and his sharingan activated briefly and he saw two Iwa shinobi still unaware of his presence. They were patrolling the border.

He would have to keep it that way.

Placing a minor genjutsu on himself to make him invisible he stopped and waited, glancing around to scout how many there were in total. He could detect 5 in his immediate vicinity. He waited and waited for ten minutes…

Now.

He rushed at the border silently at a rapid pace, running past all the shinobi silently and just escaping a guard's field of view as he disappeared into the distance.

As he left, a large venus flytrap slowly rose from the ground and opened to reveal a man with half white skin and half black, green spiky hair and yellow eyes.

The white half of the body grinned, "_There's our new recruit," _it said in a strange voice.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Itachi was walking down a dusty path, looking as inconspicuous as he could. He had a henge on that didn't change his appearance all that much, it just got rid of his tear troughs and changed the shape of his eyes and nose a little. He had to be meeting Naruto soon.

His eyes darkened as he spotted a flash of green in the corner of his eye. There had been no plants for the past hour, so why was there one now. His sharingan flashed briefly and he spotted that it had a chakra signature…

He grasped a kunai under his sleeve cautiously, but he didn't look at it any further as to not arouse suspicion. He carried on walking like he never saw anything, waiting for whoever was planning to ambush him to make a move.

He didn't have to wait long as the venus flytrap rose from right in front of him. Itachi immediately slid into a fighting stance, holding his kunai in front of him defensively.

"What do you want?" Itachi asked quietly, but forcefully. Itachi noticed the black cloak with red clouds that the thing was wearing. Slowly, each side of the flytrap spread and revealed the half white half black man from before.

"_Relax, Itachi-san," _the white half said, almost teasingly. Itachi narrowed his eyes and tensed a little more.

"What do you want with me?"

"**We want you to join our organisation," **the black half said bluntly in a dark gravelly voice.

"What organisation is that?" Itachi asked suspiciously.

"**A**ka**tsu**ki." They both said at the same time.

"I've never heard of them," his sharingan activated. "What's your goal?"

"**Peace," **the black half said. Itachi grunted.

"Then I'll have to decline," Itachi dismissed. "Peace is for the weak and ignorant."

"**I'm afraid it is not a request," **the black half said.

"Are you going to force me?"

Itachi's grip around his kunai loosened, the feeling of combat stirring up something primal in him.

"**No,**" the black half said resolutely, "_we're not all that strong, we're much better at stealth and recon you see, but I'm sure Leader-sama would like to have a few words with you," _the white half said. Itachi tensed up again.

"Who does your… organisation consist of?"

"**Various S-Class criminals." **the black half answered, knowing that that would interest Itachi.

"Hn," Itachi grunted. _'S-Class criminals, the best of the best… if I don't like the organisation, then i'll at least make an enemy out of them and then… I can recieve a challenge.'_

"I'm listening," Itachi relaxed his stance slightly.

"**Like we said, our aim is peace… we are currently building up strength and funds before we enact our plan."**

"And how exactly do you plan on bringing around peace… and what makes you think that I want peace?"

"**I don't think you want peace," **the plant-like man said. "_You want a challenge, don't you, Itachi-san. Prodigy types like you always feel the need to test themselves."_

"Why would I need to join your organisation to find a challenge? I've got a target painted on my head, challenges will come to me naturally."

"**You are an S-Class shinobi, do you really think that there are many people that can stand against you? Most of them are sitting in fancy chairs, looking at reports all day or they are kept inside their villages as weapons."  
**

That set off alarm bells in Itachi's head. This creature could only be referring to jinchuuriki. _'If there's nobody to challenge me, then how can this Akatsuki provide a challenge? Unless… they're going after either the Jinchuuriki, the kage, or both. '_

"Give me some time to decide," Itachi requested. _'The prospect of facing the Kage or the Jinchuuriki… it's too much to ignore.'_ The plant like man nodded.

"**If you decide to give us the slip, we'll just find you again anyway,**" the creature said. **"Give us your answer in one week at Amegakure."**

The plant man decided to agree with Itachi's terms because at this point the organisation couldn't afford to lose any members or resources trying to coerce Itachi to join. He was confident that Itachi would not let this information slip, at least not at this point. He was a missing nin and for missing nin, information was worth so much more than money. It could save your life, be a bargaining chip or much, much more.

Itachi nodded.

'_Amegakure…? That country is locked down completely. Whoever runs this Akatsuki organisation is very competent… and to be the leader of various S-Class criminals. He must really be something. I wouldn't want to get on his bad side… yet.'_

"This is acceptable," Itachi said as he watched the plant man sink into the ground. There was no point asking for a name because if this person wanted to give that information away, he would. He didn't recall seeing anybody in the bingo book resembling him.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto walked down the street with his hands in his pockets, looking around casually. He had dyed his hair black for now and his contacts were brown. He was in stone country, his father was rather infamous in Iwagakure and of course, he did not want to attract attention to himself.

Namikaze Minato… a man who could kill one hundred Iwa ninja without a problem and then talk about peace as if his hands weren't stained with the blood of hundreds, if not thousands.

What a funny guy.

Naruto looked down the street, it was a dusty brown, filled with wooden buildings and civilians. It was prosperous. People smiled, children giggled and there was a pleasant feeling in the atmosphere.

A typical civilian village.

Naruto grinned widely as he looked to the side into a dark alley and saw a man lounging on the floor, in a puddle of his own sick. He had ruffled, ragged and rotting clothes, a grim grey beard and his face almost looked like that of a zombie as he stared into nothing.

What a peaceful scene.

Naruto approached him with a kind smile filled with no malice whatsoever. The shadows seemed to grow when he was closing in. He approached the man and tapped him on the shoulder gently, not really wanting to touch anymore than that. The man's head turned around slowly, flopping lifelessly as it came to a stop.

"Are you okay, sir?" Naruto asked worriedly. The man looked at Naruto with a confused expression, before growling.

"Get lost kiddo," he said weakly. Naruto's smiled grew much more kinder. He reached into his pocket and got out a few coins.

"Okay, sir," he said, giving the man some coins. "Here, buy some food with this."

Naruto walked off before the man could say anything. He wasn't foolish enough to believe that the man would actually buy food.

No, he'd buy either drugs or alcohol.

Naruto inwardly patted himself on the back for a job well done. If he wanted to ruin his life, who was Naruto to say he couldn't?

Ignoring that, he carried on walking until he reached a café. It was small and modest with some tables and chair set up outside. Naruto approached a table with a cloaked man sitting on it and took a seat.

The man gave him a silent nod and Naruto's grin shrunk a bit.

"Sensei," Naruto said quietly.

"Naruto-kun," Itachi replied, pulling down the hood of his cloak to reveal his henged form.

Neither of them said anything for a while, sitting in silence. Naruto noticed some Iwagkure ninja sitting on the other side of the table and decided to listen in.

"I found a Leaf ANBU when I was patrolling the other week," a man said casually.

"Heh, what did you do to the damn tree-hugger?"

"I killed her, what else would I do?" the ninja chuckled gleefully, "She was in our territory, the leaf can't do anything about it. She was a pretty thing too. Shame her body destroyed itself after I killed her, could have had some fun with it."

'_Pleasant,' _Naruto thought idly.

"Haha, that's disgusting," a man laughed heartily.

"Maybe… leafies deserve no less, though."

'_Such a casual display of hatred… do they even notice it?' _Naruto thought.

"Ain't that a fact?" the man grinned. "You hear about the Uchiha clan? Some wacko from the clan killed most of them off."

"Yeah, I couldn't stop laughing when I heard about it. What was this about their will of fire?"

The man snorted. "Well I guess not everybody agreed. You hear about the yellow flash's son? He's gone missing."

"Really!?"

"Yeah. They tried to keep it under wraps, but it got out. People always talk"

"Heh, I'd love to strangle the little bastard and make his father cry."

Naruto hummed, swirling the tea in his cup. _'Well, dying would be a shame, but being able to watch Otou-sama cry like a baby would be pretty amusing.'_

Naruto met Itachi's eyes. Itachi had clearly been listening to the conversation, but he didn't outwardly react. Neither did Naruto, though. Gossip wasn't enough to get under Itachi's skin, although he was probably put out by the wacko comment.

Needless to say, Naruto and Itachi would not be speaking so freely when there were ninja in the area.

"So, how are you doing today, sensei?"

"I'm fine." Itachi replied quickly, taking a look in the distance with a detached look on his face. Naruto pouted.

"Mou, there's no need to be so shy, sensei," Naruto teased. Itachi turned to stare at Naruto with a slightly irritated expression.

"Hn."

"I didn't mean to offend you, sensei," Naruto smiled lightheartedly. "Honest."

Itachi didn't reply.

"You're so cold, sensei."

"Hn."

"Ah… please don't be like that," Naruto said, his tone still playful. "You might make me cry."

"Shut up," Itachi said quietly.

"I think that's quite rude. I would like an apology."

Itachi didn't reply, he just placed some money on the table and walked off. "Meet me later, outside the village. 5pm. We have to talk."

Naruto didn't twitch, instead he opened his eyes, smile still on his face. "Leaving me all alone here? I was right; you are cold."

Itachi grunted as he walked off.

"And he didn't even say goodbye," Naruto sighed longingly. "Why won't senpai notice me?"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto looked in his notebook and inwardly sighed.

"I need something to go off," he said under his breath. "Fuuinjutsu is a really tricky subject."

Naruto had spent quite a lot of time working on fuuinjutsu. Both Minato and Kushina had taught him quite a bit of it back in Konoha. He had taken to it like a fish to water, quickly mastering how to make some basic seals. Explosive tags, storage tags, even some weak barriers. Naruto was by no means a master… but he had the potential to be.

Well, it was time to meet sensei. What an awkward guy. He was all work and no play.

Well, maybe not, since he handed in one hell of a two weeks notice, but he was still way too serious. Naruto didn't care for conversation, or anything of the sort, but he did enjoy getting under Itachi's skin. It was a good way to pass time. Better than staring at nothing for hours on end anyway.

Naruto snapped his notebook shut and slipped it into his pocket, walking forwards into the distance. He was already outside the village, but he did not know where the hell Itachi was going to show up. Did he have to be so vague? He could sense his negative emotions when he was close enough, so it didn't matter but it was still a pain.

Naruto knew why Itachi was so vague. If anybody was listening, they wouldn't know where to go. Itachi would briefly flare his chakra and Naruto would feel it. It was unwise to do in enemy territory and not to mention unnecessary because Naruto could sense negative emotions.

But Itachi didn't know that.

Feeling the brief, almost unnoticeable flare of chakra, Naruto vanished in a shunshin. He reappeared on top of a rock and vanished in a series of 3 more.

Naruto soon appeared next to an abandoned temple. The wood it was made of was rotting and various planks of wood were slid out of place. There was a prayer statue outside of it, but otherwise it was completely bare.

Naruto stood on the plank and heard it squeak. "Oh wow, it kind of sounds like a mouse when you're crushing it." He muttered, commenting about the sound the floorboards made. "Or a baby," he added offhandedly.

Naruto saw Itachi in the temple looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "How do you know what a baby being crushed sounds like?"

"I found one and it was too noisy," Naruto said cheerfully. Itachi looked away slightly. Killing babies was pretty insane, even for somebody who killed most of their clan.

"I'm just joking," Naruto said with a small grin. Itachi gave him a flat stare.

"It is just like you to joke about something like that."

"I thought you would find it funny," Naruto defended. "Isn't that the stuff you 'wacko' clan killers do?"

Itachi gave him something of a dirty look as he cleared his throat and moved on to what he wanted to talk about.

"I may have to leave you."

Naruto opened his eyes and stared at Itachi.

"Why?" He asked simply, not showing a trace of sadness.

"I've been asked to join an organisation," Itachi said vaguely.

"What organisation?"

"The Akatsuki."

Naruto hummed. "Never heard of them." Naruto reached into his pocket and started flipping a coin up and down. "And I'm assuming you're thinking about joining? That's fine by me."

"I may join them. I have a week to decide. If I have any freedom, I'll help you with your training when I have time; if not you're on your own."

"As I said, that's fine. I don't want you to hold my hand or anything. In fact, I never expected you to," Naruto stared at the coin as he spoke. "Guidance is always beneficial, but in a world like this…" he caught the coin in his hand, firmly, swiping his hand as he did so.

"The only one you can rely on is yourself."

Itachi looked at Naruto stoically for a second before a small smile appeared on his face.

"You already understand that. Then I guess I'll join that group."

"Do whatever you want," Naruto dismissed.

"I'll leave you some techniques that I have copied with my sharingan in scrolls. Become strong, Naruto-kun."

"If that's what you want, sensei."

Itachi nodded once and no more words needed to be said. Itachi vanished in a flock of crows and Naruto's face settled into an empty, blank look, like he wasn't even in his own body.

"Now that that's done," Naruto started, looking at the coin in his hand, "I need to find something to do."

Naruto vanished in his own silent body flicker.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Itachi looked at the door with a detached expression, shrugging the wet cloak off his shoulders. He turned to the humanoid plant-like thing from before. It was now identified as Zetsu. Itachi's detached expression stared right through Zetsu. His eyes were pebbles. Lifeless and cold.

"**Leader-sama is waiting for you**," Black Zetsu said. Itachi nodded and Zetsu opened the door. Itachi took a step in and was greeted by a rather ominous sight.

The whole room was darkened out, no light invading the room whatsoever. Itachi's hairs rose on the back of his neck as he stared around almost uneasily. He looked forward and saw a pair of eyes glowing in the darkness. They were a dull purple and had 4 concentric circles surrounding the pupil.

'_The Rinnegan...' _Itachi thought in surprise as his eyes widened minisculely. His own sharingan activated in response to seeing these eyes.

Now able to see the outline of a man with his enhanced vision, he noticed that he had spiky hair. The outline, strangely, looked like an older version of Naruto and his eyes were just as cold as his.

"I am Pein," Pein said simply.

"Uchiha Itachi," Itachi replied simply.

"I am aware." Pein replied, matching him in bluntness, "Now what is your answer? I hope you make the right decision."

"I will join. But I have a few questions."

Itachi saw a brief nod in the darkness.

"What are my duties?"

"For now, we are just gathering funds, performing high level missions above the skill level of normal ninja."

Itachi nodded back, not wanting to tell Pein that he had already assumed that.

"I mean in the long term."

"You will know when the time comes."

Itachi now knew that he would not get any useful information. Now he could only ask practical questions. He could only wonder what Naruto was doing.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto walked through the same street he walked down yesterday. He had a small grin on his face as he looked around.

The same feeling was not in the air.

His eyes drifted forward as he looked at a gathering of people surrounding the alleyway. He could feel it in the air. The panic. The fear.

It sent pleasurable shocks throughout his whole being.

Mothers were shielding their children's eyes and loud chatter congested the atmosphere. Naruto approached the scene and took a look at it with an easygoing expression.

That same homeless man he had given money to was sitting, leaning against the wall of the alley. His eyes were wide open and he had dribbled blood and vomit. His body's natural stench combined with the overwhelming stench of death overpowered everybody without discrimination.

He was dead. Most likely an overdose.

A strange gleam appeared in Naruto's eyes as they opened slightly. Everybody in the crowd once again turned unnatural colours, leaking an ominous aura. He clutched his head as they all turned to him and he opened his eyes to see the green version of him standing opposite to him and staring him in the eye. He reached forward in a trance like state, but his arm just swiped through the figure. He blinked and the scene dispelled to reveal lots of people looking at him with worried expressions.

"You shouldn't have to see this, boy. Go and find your parents."

Still somewhat shaken, well as shaken as he could be, he nodded absent mindedly walking off.

'_Now that he is dead, they show concern. Now that they don't have to do anything. When he was alive, everybody just ignored him. They lived in the light whilst he was alone in the shadows. Ignored. What's the point in caring for him after death? When he was alive, he was nothing but scum, but now in death, he's worth something? Or is it just their guilty conscience compelling them to at least act like that they care? I don't understand.' _Naruto briefly saw the green form of himself flashing in his vision and he clawed at the air wistfully. "_I don't ever understand. It doesn't make any logical sense. I know how a human thinks… but they don't make any sense to me.'_

He walked forward in a trance like state.

'_Am I even human?'_

Naruto shook his head briefly, not wanting to think about that at the moment. His face had reverted back to its naturally stoic expression. He stared forward and saw the Iwa ninja from yesterday on the way outside of the village.

His eyes glinted.

Lowering his chakra levels to an almost unnoticeable level he slowed his walk down and tailed them, getting a good look at them.

They all wore the standard Iwa Jonin/Chunin uniform. A red body suit under a brown flak jacket. One man, the man who had expressed his desire to strangle Naruto, had wavy black hair and green eyes. He had a goatee and he was an average height and average build. Another man was rather chunky and was bald. He had small squinting eyes and chubby cheeks. The last man had slicked back auburn hair and a thin moustache over his lip.

They were oblivious as they were being stalked. They kept on walking and walking until they got out of the village. Naruto hung back as they started running at a fast pace.

"Hm," Naruto chuckled, forgetting about his earlier thoughts for now. "I don't feel like being strangled, to be honest, it doesn't seem too pleasant."

He vanished in a speedy body flicker. He appeared behind a rock and then vanished again. They were in his line of sight.

He withdrew two kunai from his pouch and charged wind chakra through them. His arm lashed out as he threw them, as soon as the kunai left his hand, his other arm flashed with a golden colour and lashed out as well. They sailed through the area, the two men he aimed for withdrawing kunai to deflect them as they neared them.

They did so successfully.

However, before they could retaliate, a golden kunai hit planted in their foreheads and they collapsed to the ground lifelessly.

The man who wasn't targeted, the man with wavy black hair's eyes widened. _'Who is that!?' _His head darted around. _'And what did they do?' _

Naruto grinned coldly from the shadows. _'I threw the second set of kunai, which I created ever so slightly smaller than the first set with my chakra materialisation ability, directly behind the first so that they were invisible to the naked eye' _

Naruto sent out his chakra and replaced himself with a dead body behind the last target silently. He threw a kunai so it grazed the man's cheek and he went to look behind him, but Naruto had already substituted with the kunai mid air and appeared in front of him in mid air. His wrist flickered forwards briefly as he stealthily dropped to the floor.

He landed on the ground as the man's head turned back forward and their eyes met. The man was wide eyed as Naruto swept his feet and he landed on his back.

'_A kid?' _he thought in alarm. Naruto rushed at his downed form and a golden chain shot out of his wrist. The man tried to get up, but he couldn't move his arms or legs. He looked down and saw golden senbon sticking out of his joints. _'He used them to stop any movement from my joints, but when? And why? He could have just taken me out with that kunai.'_

Naruto left the unanswered question unanswered as he moved behind the man.

Naruto wrapped the chain around the man's neck, lifting up his back and tugged on it from behind.

'_Who is this kid?'_

As if answering his question, Naruto used henge to turn his hair and eyes back to their normal colour and leaned forward so the man could see him.

"I heard about you wanting to strangle me." Naruto said as the man's skin was turning blue. "I couldn't let that happen, you see, life can be quite interesting sometimes."

The man couldn't reply.

"But since you were kind enough to offer, I could at least extend the same courtesy, right?" Naruto chirped as if he wasn't even killing anybody. Naruto kept on tugging as the life slowly faded from the man's eyes.

Naruto was addicted to the feeling of the man's hatred. It caused a pit to slowly churn in his stomach, sending pleasurable sensations through his body from his fingertips to his toes. It was like his empty being was being filled up.

He loved it.

Naruto let the man's body drop as the chain disappeared from his hand. He withdrew a kunai and channeled wind chakra in it. He sliced downwards, removing the man's head from his body and then decided to do something. He lifted the man's head up and raised his kunai to it. He gently but firmly carved a symbol onto the man's forehead.

An upside down cross.

It truly didn't mean anything. He just wanted to cause a stir. With a plan in mind, he stuck a bunch of exploding tags on the dead bodies, but decided to take the head with him. He vanished behind a rock as he held up a hand seal and they blew to bloody chunks. His eyes were cold as he waited for a bit, keeping his ears peeled. As soon as heard the tell-tale sounds of running he disappeared.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"We need to report this to Tsuchikage-sama immediately," a man with light brown hair, wearing an Iwa chunin/jonin uniform said. He was accompanied by a woman with hair the same shade. They neared the patrol station and their eyes widened once they saw the scene.

"That's Takeda!" the woman exclaimed.

The man clenched his fist as he saw the head attached to a stick with an upside down cross on his forehead. The stick was planted in the ground.

"I don't know what the hell that's supposed to mean."

A figure in the shadows faded into nothingness after these words were said.

'_That could be useful in the future.'_

**I wanted to show how Naruto fights in real fights. I was inspired by Saizou The Soul binder from the Gamaran manga. Naruto didn't kill the man out of spite or out of some love for killing (he's indifferent to killing itself. It's the reactions and feeling of negative emotions that gives him almost orgasmic pleasure)... he killed him just to cause confusion and well, because he likes to be an asshole****. Somebody wants to strangle him, he'll do it to them just for the irony of it. He does a lot of things so that he can possibly use them later. I intend for you to not really know what he is thinking.**

**Please review, It would make my day ^_^**


	5. Hope's descent, Despair's Rise

**Small time skip here. Not too much, but yeah. I'm glad you guys are enjoying this story.**

**I don't own Naruto**

* * *

**2 Years later**

Naruto sat with his customary smile on his face. He lounged on the tree casually, the sound of birds singing dancing in his ear, the scent of fresh air tickling his nostrils and the shining green blades of glass reflecting in his eyes. He looked around at the eden-like scene, his golden hair fluttering in the breeze, circling his head like a halo.

His eyes slowly opened and a gust of wind stirred the area and the blue sky became slightly more grey. He jumped off the tree and the birds scampered away. His clothes hadn't changed much at all. He wore a black T-shirt with mesh underneath it and black shinobi pants tucked into shin high shinobi sandals.

"So you're here?" Naruto said to seemingly nobody.

"Boy," said a small voice and Naruto's head didn't even twitch as it spoke.

"You could call me by my name, Yuurei-san," Naruto said as a form of a green and orange chameleon shimmered into existence. "Although, 'boy' is much more charming than 'human."

"Tch…" the chameleon clicked and Naruto turned back with a happy smile on his face.

"You never change," he said cheerfully.

"Whatever, I got what you wanted."

"Oh my, you are rather reliable, Yuurei-san," Naruto's eyes opened and Yuurei felt a wave of cold invade his system as his happy demeanour immediately vanished. "What have you found?"

"He'll move into wave country soon. Some time in the next few months, at least."

"That's rather predictable," Naruto mused. "They are in between Konoha and Kiri, but going to Kiri to help is suicide and if he can effectively block off the island from any outside support, he can gain complete control over it."

"What are you going to do?"

"Nothing much," Naruto said. "What shady business men do is none of my concern."

"Then why did you want this information?"

"Information is always good to have. It can save your life. In this world, people with power will abuse it. Money is a form of power."

Yuurei's eyes narrowed. "But you're planning something, aren't you?"

Naruto shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't even know what I'm thinking myself at this point of time."

Yuurei's eyes stayed narrowed. "Just don't bring any attention to yourself."

"Oh my, are you perhaps worried about me?"

"Of course, you are our only summoner of course."

"Don't worry, I won't bring any attention to myself. I haven't done so so far, and I won't do so now."

"Good. You're strong for your age, but you are not invincible. You don't need attention on you right now."

"I understand." Naruto hummed, a charismatic smile dancing across his lips. "You're always taking care of me."

"Tch, as if. I just need to stop you from getting yourself killed."

"That's so mean," Naruto pouted. Truly, he didn't need Yuurei to look after him. He would have done just fine on his own, but it was easier to keep somebody close to you if you gave them the illusion that they were being helpful. Yuurei was a summon, but it still applied.

"I don't care," the chameleon said. Naruto grinned. "Just don't forget about starting your training."

"Training? I wouldn't even think about missing it."

"Good," Yuurei said. "I'll teach you some more chameleon techniques. Don't disappoint me."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Yuurei-san."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto sat, eating an ice cream whilst sitting on a bench. The air had a gentle moisture about it, the scent of the sea lingered in the air. Men walked by with conical straw hats, carrying boxes of fish after a hard day of work and the mood was jolly.

Naruto was in Wave Country.

Naruto's eyes opened as he took a long lick out of the ice cream whilst scanning the area.

Everything was serene and peaceful for now, but that wouldn't last for long. Gatou would move in soon…

And then everything would fall into place.

His eyes darted around. Everybody was cheerful and happy. They were living in their illusion of peace and nothing could go wrong for them in their minds. They were weak, but they had no need to be strong. Why should they be? Nothing bad had happened to them before. Wave country is located on an island, away from all the conflict. They weren't like the war torn lands of Amegakure and Kusagakure. No, they were completely ignorant of the truth.

It was pathetic.

Naruto was almost disgusted. He could barely feel any negative emotions in the air. It felt empty and shallow. There was no substance… it was wrong. The only people with any true courage were the fishermen who risked the stormy seas all year around.

But not for long.

Naruto finished the ice cream and a blank expression was on his face as he thought.

'_The higher one climbs… the higher one falls,' _Naruto thought cryptically.

And with that thought in mind, he stood up and walked away with his hands in his pockets, his head down and his lips slowly rising into a smile that promised _something. _

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto looked at a shack in the forest with a glint in his blue eyes. Three days. That's how long he had been watching this shack.

It was the home to a sick old man and his grandson. The man was dying and reliant on his grandson to basic chores for him. He had an unknown disease and he couldn't be cured. He was known in the community, but forgotten because his grandson did everything for him.

It was perfect.

Naruto sat in his tree, twirling a kunai, watching for any movement.

There it was.

The door opened to reveal an 11 year old boy with shaggy, sandy brown hair, black eyes and he was wearing a green vest and black shorts. Naruto watched as he walked, bucket in one hand and money in his other. His name was Koji.

He was probably going to buy some fish.

Naruto dropped from the tree as he walked underneath him. He slitted Koji's neck swiftly, remorselessly. The boy didn't even notice his death.

Naruto stared at the dead body of the boy nonchalantly with a grin on his face as he turned it over from its face down position and got a good look at the corpse's face.

"Hmmm," Naruto hummed. "I think that's good," he said, letting out a breathy sigh. He picked up the body and walked off into the distance.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Kaiza was an ordinary man. He was a travelling fisherman pursuing his dreams in a new country. He had spiky black hair, a rope tied around his head to the side and a cross shaped scar on his chin. He wore a short sleeved black kimono-like top with white trimming and white three quarter length trousers.

He had a fishing pole slung over his shoulder and his supplies in a bucket as he neared a pier.

A natural mist floated the atmosphere around like a ghostly apparition, brushing against the pearly white sands of the peach. The air was bitter with an early morning chill and the sea was a dark grey that lacked any life.

He approached the pier, and as he got closer, a shadow appeared. It was the small form of a boy, all alone looking at the sea. The mist cleared a little more and he manage to make out the silhouette of a fishing rod in the boy's hand.

'_What's that kid doing here? It's four in the morning.' _Kaiza thought worriedly. He got nearer and as he reached the boy, he put a hand on his shoulder. The boy turned around with a startled expression.

"H-hello, sir," she said. Kaiza saw the bags underneath his eyes. He got a better look at the boy. He had shaggy, sandy brown hair, distanced black eyes that looked like they belonged in a dead fish, but he just put that down to it being a bit too early for the boy. Despite the cold, the boy wore a green vest and black shorts.

"What's your name, kid?" Kaiza asked with a kind smile on his face. The boy's expression settled again and he answered tiredly.

"Koji," he answered. "What's yours, sir?"

"Kaiza," he answered promptly. Continuing, he gave the boy an inquisitive look. "What are you doing here?"

"I-I'm fishing." Koji said nervously, looking like he was worrying if he offended the man.

"Oh? And why so early?"

"I want to get some fist for my jiji," Koji said firmly.

"Can't he just buy some?" Kaiza asked, wondering why a kid had to go fishing at 4 in the morning.

"No, he's sick so we don't have much money. I have to do it," Koji said, a determined expression crossed on his face, his eyes igniting with a fire that completely contrasted how dead they looked before.

"How about I catch some fish for you?" Kaiza offered. _'It's the least I could do for a kid like that.'_

"No," the child said stubbornly. Kaiza's eyes widened and he felt a brief shock flow through his body. "I have to do it myself! He's my jiji… he's done so much for me and I want to do something for him now! He always protects me," he gripped the fishing rod harder. "I want to protect him now," he stared at Kaiza now. "If you help me now, I'll never be able to protect him myself… with my own two arms."

'_This kid...' _Kaiza thought. A wave of inspiration hit him. _'Protecting something with your own two arms. That has a nice ring to it.' _The child's determination was admirable and he felt his heart warm. '_This country is a great place.' _

Kaiza smiled toothily at Koji, his being emitting warmth that Koji couldn't feel. "I like your resolve, kid," he said, breaking Koji out of his momentum. "How about I teach you how to fish properly?"

Koji looked at him in surprise. "But why?"

"Because, I like you and you even taught me something today. Think of it as me paying you back."

"I taught you? What? I didn't teach you anything!"

"You did, Koji-kun. You taught me that if you hold something dear to you, you should protect it with your own two arms."

Koji looked at Kaiza wide eyed for a while before he smiled. "Okay, Kaiza-san!"

Kaiza grinned and ruffled his hair as he sat down next to him.

For the next few hours, Kaiza sat down and taught Koji about fishing, bonding and having fun. Kaiza smiled weakly and stood up.

"I have to go now, Koji-kun," Kaiza said solemnly. He really liked the kid. He was determined and had courage.

Courage, one thing most fishermen had in common.

"But I don't want you to," Koji pouted.

"Now, now, don't get upset." He ruffled Koji's hair. "Tell you what. Come here tomorrow and we'll hang out again, okay?"

Koji nodded. "Okay!" he said, brightening up,

Kaiza gave the boy a bright smile, picked up his thing and walked off. As soon as he disappeared from Koji's vision, the clouds darkened and rain started falling slowly. The shadows cast over Koji, all traces of emotion wiped off his face as he looked at where Kaiza once was with a detached expression.

'_It takes one man with courage to become a hero. A hero is somebody who carries the hope of every man, woman and child on his shoulders… but even heroes can fall.'_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Koji approached the shack, bringing in fish with a smile. He saw a man laying in the bed opposite the wall and his eyes gleamed.

"Jiji," he said quietly. The figured stirred and turned towards Koji.

"Koji-kun," he said fondly.

"I got some fish for you, jiji," he smiled.

"Thank you, my child."

Koji's bangs shadowed his eyes.

"Will you ever get better, jiji?"

The man coughed dryly.

"Maybe."

Koji nodded and turned away with a smile that held no trace of happiness in it, only darkness, but no malice.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

It had been six months since that day. Koji and Kaiza had gotten quite close. Kaiza had met a kid called Inari who Koji had only met a few times. The boy emulated him in any way he could. Koji distanced himself a bit more as Kaiza and Inari became inseparable. It didn't matter to Koji anyway. Koji hadn't seen Kaiza for two months.

Kaiza was now known as 'The hero of wave' for his brave actions. The floodgate in the village had opened and the whole village could have flooded. If it was not for Kaiza's brave actions in selflessly diving into the cascading water and tying the rope to the gate so it could be pulled shut, the village would have been severely damaged and lives would have been lost.

He taught Wave the meaning of courage.

However, things were moving along perfectly. Gatou had started moving in two months ago and it was time for 'Koji' to make his move. The spirit of Wave hadn't been broken yet… it was in the beginning stages.

He sat in the shack he shared with his grandfather, his childish demeanour gone. He sat on a bucket, his elbows resting on his thighs and his fingers laced together. His chin was rested on his intertwined fingers. His sandy brown hair turned a spiky golden blonde and he became a little shorter. His black eyes became blue. He stood up slowly and a neutral expression made its way to his face before it softened. He gently pushed open the door and approached the old man who was staring upwards at the roof defeatedly.

Naruto had etched the man's features into his memory after six months of pretending to be Koji. He was bald and frail. His brittle, paper like skin hung from his face by a thread. His mouth was cracked and his body was unnaturally rigid.

He approached the bed and the man's withered black eyes stared up at him.

"Who are you?"

To the man, Naruto looked like an angel. There was a kind glow about him and his face was the picture of peace. His blue eyes were gentle and loving. His golden hair let out an ethereal glow. He held some sort of transcendent power in his eyes. His clear, blue eyes: the picture of purity. We wanted to get lost in those lakes; he wanted cleanse himself.

Naruto smiled gently. He was the personification of benevolence.

"I want to show you something."

"Who are you?"

Naruto didn't reply, he just held his hand out.

"Please sir, grab my hand. I'll show you something…"

"Who are you?"

Naruto finally answered. "I'm a messenger. You can see me, but nobody else can."

"Why are you here?"

"Koji sent me," Naruto said calmly. "For the past two months, you've been living in an illusion. He doesn't want you to suffer anymore. He told me himself."

"What do you mean?"

"Follow me," Naruto said calmly. He sent a reassuring kind smile at the old man. The man reached out and brushed hands with Naruto.

"I'll take away your pain." Naruto grabbed his hand gently, like it was made of fine china. His palm glowed as their hands made contact.

'_A painkiller seal… it prevents the body from feeling pain. The drawback is, once it wears down or is cancelled, you'll receive all the pain you were meant to feel whilst under the painkiller's influence at once.' _Naruto thought.

The man felt all his pain disappear. For the first time in years, he felt no pain. He was weightless and a wave of warmth invaded his system.

"Today, you will undoubtedly feel a lot of heartache, but I'm here for you," he looked in the man's eyes, "I'm always here for you." Naruto's finger glowed with chakra and he touched the man's heart with his free hand. "Never forget that."

The man felt his heart warm and he felt at comfort, at peace. He nodded and Naruto gently helped him out of his bed, supporting him as he did so.

"Let me take you somewhere."

The man nodded in a trance-like state and Naruto led him out of the shack, gently drifting throughout the forest as he lead the man who felt weightless at the moment. They travelled for three minutes and finally came to a stop.

Naruto spotted a house in the distance and led the man underneath a tree where it looked like the earth had been dug up.

"Do you know what this is?" Naruto asked the old man. The old man shook his head.

"This is Koji's grave."

The man's eyes widened. "W-what?"

"It's true," Naruto said. "He's been dead for two months, don't you remember? You buried him yourself."

"T-that can't be true," said the man weakly.

Naruto nodded solemnly. "It is. Some of Gatou's men came to your house, demanding money. You didn't have any and they got angry. Koji tried to defend you, but they killed him. I don't know why they didn't kill you, maybe they wanted to make an example?"

"That can't be true," the man repeated.

"It is." Naruto said. "The Koji you've been living with has been a figment of your imagination for the past two months. I'm truly sorry."

"How do you know all this?"

"As I said, I'm a messenger. Koji asked me to help you accept the fact that he is gone."

"If he's dead, then how can you speak to him?"

Naruto's hand flashed in a one handed hand seal briefly, but the man didn't notice it.

All of a sudden, white feathery wings spewed from his back and the man was hypnotised in their glory.

'_Genjutsu… it always works with civilians' _Naruto thought.

"I'm a messenger, sent from Koji himself in the afterlife. He just wants you to accept that he has gone."

"B-But that can't be true. Koji always cooks me fish. How can you explain that!?"

"The villagers," Naruto said calmly. "Their hearts went out to you when they heard of your plight. They take care of you."

'Reality' sunk in for the man. He felt his body seize up, his mouth dry and his eyes water.

"I told you earlier, didn't I? I'm always there for you. There is no shame in crying."

The man was trembling without even realising it.

"You've lost your precious grandson," Naruto said, reminding him of the fact. "Cry out to the heavens… there is no need for restraint." Naruto's eyes flickered to the house close by.

The dam broke.

The man wailed loudly and Naruto put a comforting hand on his shoulder. He ran though a couple of one handed seals behind the man's back and mouthed a few words. His form vanished slowly. He kept the hand on the man's back. The old man had his head in his hands, wailing in despair. His voice was raspy and dry.

Naruto's ears perked, hearing the sounds of footsteps and he vanished, appearing in the trees and watched the scene with darkened eyes.

There was a small family rushing towards the sound. There was Kaiza, a woman with long black hair and a pink T-shirt, his new wide, Tsunami, An old man wearing a brown vest and grey shorts, who was rather chubby. He had spiky grey hair and glasses: Tazuna, Kaiza's father in law and a young boy, Inari, who wore overalls and had a similar rope to Kaiza's on his head.

"What's wrong?" Kaiza exclaimed.

Koji's grandfather hyperventilated, tears running down his face. "Koji…"

Kaiza perked up. "What about Koji?"

"He's dead…" Koji's grandfather cried. "Gatou…!"

Naruto relished in the negative emotions, but as soon as the name Gatou was said, he held up a single hand seal.

He had just released the painkiller seal.

Pain wracked through the man's body and he clenched his heart, the stress and pain too much to handle. He wordlessly collapsed on the ground, his heart beating rapidly and kicking into overdrive. Naruto could almost hear if from where he was. Tazuna, Tsunami and Kaiza rushed to his downed form, but it was too late.

The heart stopped.

The man was dead.

Hatred was born.

It had begun.

'_It's all falling into place...' _Naruto thought. He felt anger saturating the air from Kaiza and his insides tingled.

Tsunami looked at her husband who had his back turned and his fists clenched. She saw a drop of water hit the ground.

"Gatou…" he spat out. He had killed the kid. He was sure that's what Koji's grandfather meant. That kid… who had taught him so much with a simple action. That kid who had so much determination. That kid who he had bonded with.

That kid who he had failed to protect.

"Kaiza…" Tsunami said worriedly.

"No more," he muttered.

"What?" Tsunami asked. She couldn't hear him.

"Gatou has gone far enough. NO MORE!" he roared. "I'm putting an end to this before it's too late!"

Naruto watched the scene in amusement, but it didn't show.

'_A hero carries a heavy burden. Everybody's hope. Everybody's fear… he carries it all. But even a hero can drop things. A hero is still human.'_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The shadows cast over the area ominously as a lone figure crept along the wall. His eyes were set with a steely determination. He was going to do this.

The sounds of chatter sounded through the area and Kaiza felt his heartbeat rise. He could do this. Or could he? He was one man against a whole gang. He wasn't a ninja, he was a fisherman. Admittedly, he was stronger than a normal person, but was that enough?

Maybe it wasn't.

His resolution steeled. Maybe it wasn't. So what? If he didn't do anything, nobody would and this country would fall into despair regardless.

'_If you value something, protect it with your own two arms. Even if it means that you die.' _Those were the words he lived by for the past six months… and he would keep living by them. For all the citizens of the country he had come to love…

For Koji.

He had to do it. It was responsibilty as the Hero of Wave.

He reached the edge of the wall, grasping the club that was in his hands. He took a deep breath.

And he ran.

Charging at a group armed with blades, he let out a battle cry and swung his club with all his might, hitting one man in the head.

"What!?" One man exclaimed. Kaiza got a good look at them, there were about 15 of them. Ignoring his exclamation, he swung his club ferociously again and managed to hit another man. The emn all reacted now and rushed at him. One man sent a sword slash at him and he dodged it inexpertly, but as he dodged, he was nailed in the face with a punch. He felt his jaw break, but persevered anyway. He threw the club at a man in the distance, managing to hit him and lurched forward as he hit another man with a right hook. He raised his fist again to punch, but suddenly froze.

He looked slowly to the side to look at his arm and saw that it _wasn't there. _Glancing upward, he saw a man in a beanie with his sword extended.

"ARGH!"

The man laughed. "Hahaha," he laughed. "Is this the hero of Wave?" he sneered. "Doesn't look so tough to me."

"...Screw you," Kaiza said weakly, his jaw still cracked from the earlier punch, as the man relaxed his stance, confident in his victory. He cocked his attached arm backwards and delivered a strong punch to the swordsman's cheek, sending the victim's head flying back.

"That was a mistake, fucking tough guy!"

Kaiza spat in his face.

"Tie him up! I'm sure boss would like to have a few words with him."

"Yes, sir!" the thugs saluted. The man gave a satisfied smirk.

"What are you going to do now, mr hero?"

Kaiza glared defiantly.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX **

A fence separated the civilians and Gatou and his two bodyguards. The whole area, although filled with people, was still dead. Everybody had blank or sad but resigned faces as they watched the proceedings.

A small man with a receding hairline and spiky hair pointing backwards had a cocky smirk on his face. He had circular sunglasses and was wearing a black business suit. This was Gatou.

Everyone was silent, with their hero restrained, all their bravado and courage had gone down the drain.

"TOU-SAN!" Inari shouted from the crowd.

"Shhh, they'll hear you," a villager scolded in fright and resignation.

Kaiza raised a weak smile at Inari. he was elevated on a cross and both arms had been cut off.

"Listen up!" Gatou said, projecting his voice to all the villagers. "This man has been conducting terrorist activities against Gatou corporation." he waved his arms around proudly. "He has disrupted the peace of this land, and for that, he will be put to death!"

He grinned cruelly.

"I just hope that nothing like this ever happens again."

"Kill him!"

**The sword descended.**

Everybody's heart was in their throats. Kaiza didn't blink and didn't flinch. Everybody felt all their courage slip away as the sword got closer and closer.

The blade made contact.

**The hero fell.**

"TOU-SAN!" Inari screamed again, his eyes like waterfalls as tears cascaded from them.

Kaiza's head dropped to the ground like a pebble, his dead face still had its lips twitched upwards, even in death.

He had no regrets.

Inari wailed. "You're a liar, tou-san! You said that you'd always protect me… always protect this village with your own two hands."

**And so did the hope of Wave country.**

Everything Kaiza represented fell as he did. Hope, bravery, pride.

It was all gone.

There were mournful tears in the crowd, but nothing could be done. Their strength had gone. They were now submissive.

The figure of a short blonde boy standing in a nearby tree that was devoid of any leaves shimmered into existence.

'_The heavier the load the hero carries, the harder it will fall. The higher he climbs, the higher he falls… and he falls with the hope he carries, the hope he represents. One thing can't just cease to exist, though. There are two sides to every coin. To hope… despair and to courage… cowardice.'_

A small smile found its way on to Naruto's face.

'_Checkmate.'_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto stood on top of a building looking down. What once was a prosperous fishing country was now a shell of its former self. It had only been a week since Gatou had gained full control of the island and things were already much more dismal.

People didn't walk with the same spring in their steps. They no longer smiled. They never looked forward, just over their shoulders.

Naruto could only feel one thing in the air.

Despair.

He loved it. It was almost orgasmic in pleasure. He was addicted. To think, just in six months, a country that didn't know sorrow could be reduced to _this. _

It was exciting. So easy…

It wasn't even his fault, mostly. He just helped things along the way and the results were ever so productive.

Still, the game wasn't over yet.

His hands blazed through multiple hand seals rapidly. "Chameleon technique: phantom cloak." He muttered underneath his breath, his form slowly becoming invisible and turning into nothing.

Under his cloak of invisibility, he vanished from roof to roof, appearing right next to a mansion. He stuck to the wall using chakra and climbed up, reaching a high window.

He opened the window silently, the inhabitant none the wiser to his presence. He approached him from behind and covered his mouth with his hand.

"Gatou-san…" Naruto muttered with a grin. "You've been a very bad boy."

Gatou's muffled shouts vibrated off Naruto's palm.

"What was that?" Naruto asked. "No, I can't go easy on you. That way you'll never learn."

A golden kunai appeared in Naruto's hand.

"I think I'll just confiscate this country."

Gatou's words were not comprehensible, but they were obviously protests. Naruto ignored them and ran the kunai over the man's jugular. He then impaled the kunai in the man's head for good measure. He reached into his kunai pouch and retrieved a piece of paper. Placing it on the man's head and channeling chakra through it, the seals glowed on it.

"Can't just leave you laying around," Naruto said, watching as the body went up into blue flames, not leaving a trace behind. It was the same seal used by Leaf ANBU so that enemies couldn't get a hold of the secrets in their dead bodies if they were dying. A pencil pot knocked onto the ground and Naruto immediately held up a hand seal just as the door opened.

His childish form was replaced by the recently deceased Gatou.

"Are you alright boss?" the guard asked.

"Yes, I'm absolutely fine, Zori," the guard was well know on the island by now. He was Gatou's man muscle and everybody knew it. "I just dropped my pencil pot. Don't disrupt me again you meatheaded fool."

Zori grumbled and walked out the room and Naruto's henge dropped. Naruto sat on Gatou's chair with his legs on the desk.

'_I had to do so little… I killed two, three if you're being pedantic, people and I'm already in control of a country.' _Naruto thought.

'_Of course, I'll use Gatou as a figurehead to rule. People are controlled by their fear. They fear Gatou. It is logical.' _He withdrew a coin from his pocket and flicked it up and down. _'I now have a safe zone… a centre. And I'm also in control of all of Gatou's money, since he doesn't use banks.'_

He caught the coin and a calculating expression was on his face. _'I just need to cut this country off from the rest of the world. I'll block off all shipping routes and I'll kill that bridge builder, Tazuna and his family.'_

Naruto closed his eyes, briefly and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, he saw the green skinned monster staring at him with a smirk.

"Is it enough?" he asked himself. The monster slowly disappeared. "No, it's never enough," Naruto said calmly, his face lacking the usual grin.

What the hell was a ten year old supposed to do with a country under his thumb?

'_Rule it with an iron fist, I suppose.'_

**In case you didn't notice, Naruto was posing as Koji for most of this chapter. Why did he use Kaiza to act as a hero? Well, because Wave is a civilian country... most people don't know what it is like to face a life and death situation, so they lack courage. Kaiza, however, was a fisherman who face life and death situations at sea much more than anybody else. Naruto could also sense that he wasn't full of negative emotions. He took a gamble, but a rather safe one.**

**Naruto didn't reveal his intention right until the end. I thought it would be fitting. Most of what he did seemed to be quite small, and ultimately, he took over a country whilst only killing one child, an old man and a business tycoon and without anybody knowing that he even existed. How about that at 10 years old?**

**Please review, it'd make my day ^_^**


	6. A Devil's Touch

**I don't own Naruto.**

Blood.

Natsuko looked at her bleeding hands and at the log that was dented by the force of her blows. She slowly clenched her fists as the fox sealed inside of her healed her wounds. Her hair was matted with sweat and the sky was darkened with the fatigue of night. She became light headed, but still stood strong, taking in the irony scent her blood.

'_The blood that me and Naruto share,' _she thought. Her body was laden with the weight of exhaustion. Through sheer willpower, she returned to hit the log with slow, purposeful strikes, the light in her bright blue eyes still alive.

'_I'll get you back. It's a promise.'_

1 punch. 2 punches. 3 punches.

It was not enough.

She punched again and again, her teeth gritted. 12 punches. She shakily raised her bloody fist once more ignorant to the sound of frantic footsteps and hit the log one last time.

13 punches.

Her body slumped against the log tiredly. The weight of her promise crushing her. She barely registered the arms picking her up. Kushina looked down at her daughter sadly. She was training so hard every day. Over doing it all the time to get her brother back. It wasn't healthy.

Despite the circumstances, Kushina couldn't help but feel a little pride well up in her stomach. Her daughter was always so determined and had a very strong will. In more ways than one, Kushina admired Natsuko. She admired her innocence, her determination, even her stubborn tendencies that she shared with her.

She had always shared a special bond with Natsuko. Even more so than Naruto. She loved Naruto, but they Naruto and Kushina couldn't relate quite like she and Natsuko could. It was a bond shared between girls, she justified. She loved Naruto and treated him with just as much love as she did Natsuko, but Natsuko was her favourite child.

She looked at her daughter sternly. "What have I told you about sneaking out at night to train?"

Natsuko muttered something unintelligible.

"What?" Kushina asked.

"I need to get stronger if I'm going to get otouto back," she whispered.

Kushina bit her lip. "I'm sure he wouldn't want to see you like this," she said softly.

"But I need to!"

Kushina couldn't exactly dissuade her from doing what she wanted. That would be like giving up on Naruto. No, as a mother, she couldn't do that, but as a mother she couldn't watch her daughter do this to herself.

"If you keep on going overboard, you'll do more harm than good," Kushina chided softly, but it fell upon deaf ears as Natsuko had already drifted off to sleep. Kushina sighed and brought her into the house.

* * *

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"What are we going to do?" Kushina asked Minato. He rubbed his temples as he laid in bed next to her.

"I don't know," Minato said. "It's like he's completely vanished off the radar. There have been sightings of Itachi, but absolutely nothing about Naruto."

Kushina bit her lip and tears stirred in her violet eyes. "Do you think…?"

Minato's lips pressed together firmly. "I don't know. I don't think so," Minato rubbed his wife's back. "He's strong. He wouldn't," he paused. His lips were dry and his throat felt like it was about to clench up. "He won't die so easy."

Kushina frowned.

"What if Itachi didn't take him? What if it was Kumo and they were using him as breeding stock?" Kushina said worriedly, remembering when Kumo tried to kidnap her.

"I don't think so," Minato murmured. "And don't speak like that. It's talk like that between the general population that is causing tensions to rise so badly."

"But it's not impossible," Kushina stated grimly. "The Hyuuga incident? Me? What about the events that led up to Yosuga pass?" Kushina listed. "Kumo have a history of trying to just take whatever they want, whenever they want."

"Be optimistic," Minato said.

"Be realistic," Kushina retorted. "Jiraiya's teachings of peace… I want them to become true, but as things are now, do you think that's possible? You're talking about peace, but this world lives off war. How do you create peace in a world that makes a living off war?" she calmed down. "How can you protect our family with such weak resolve as a Hokage?"

Minato frowned. "If nobody makes an effort, then nothing will happen. I'm not so naive to believe that peace will happen instantly, or even in this lifetime, but how can you make a difference if you don't try? If we keep on doing the same things and expect things to change then things are only going to get worse."

Kushina was silent, but it was obvious by the small glare she was giving Minato that she was not happy.

"What…" she paused, trying to get out the unspoken words that both Minato and her were both thinking of, but couldn't get out. "What if he doesn't want to come back."

Minato stared at the ceiling. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

* * *

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto sat on a wall, the area was dusty and hot. People all around him wore loose white and beige clothes. The air was dry, the floor sandy. The sky was a hazy brown that reflected the sand that was sprawled on the earth.

'_I wonder how you're doing, Onee-sama?'_

Naruto was covered by a dusty brown travelling cloak and he had a matching scarf covering his features. He had left Wave, saying that he was going on a business trip for a short period of time. He really needed to learn how to make blood clones. He didn't really have to do much in Wave. He just impersonated Gatou, occasionally walking around the streets with his guards, keeping the fear fresh, and then he did whatever he wanted to. Usually train. He had that bridge builder and his family publicly executed. It sent out a clear message.

If you posed even a small amount of threat to Wave country's isolation, then you would be killed.

To the world, Gatou was still alive; he was a symbol of fear. As long as he controlled people's fear then he could do whatever he wished to them. It was quite amusing. He could feel the despair in the area. He could taste the anger. He could smell the fear.

But it wasn't enough.

He looked at the doll that was in his hands. A toy. Nothing more, nothing less. His eyes were cold as he stared down into it, not having his cheerful mask on. He grabbed the arm of the toy and yanked it roughly, taking it apart piece by piece.

With each pull his face got darker. Pulling apart the doll awakened a sleeping desire in him. Breaking things. He had forgotten how much he lusted to do it. It was all a game. The only game he liked to play. With an indecipherable look in his eye, he threw the toy away behind his back.

He had no use for it.

Leaning back and observing the ripples in the air caused by the heat, he sighed.

"A few new jutsu would be pretty cool," he mused out loud. "Suna is near."

'_They won't just give me techniques,' _Naruto thought. _'I'll just have to take them.'_

Naruto looked around and seeing that nobody was looking at him, he vanished.

* * *

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto walked through the dusty streets of Suna. His hair was dyed brown and he wore black contact lenses. He took in his surroundings. Sand clouds floated in the air like wisps of smoke. The sandy brown buildings had small cracks in them and there was not a hint of plant life. Naruto put his hands in his pockets.

'_Now, how am I going to do this?' _he thought, looking around. He walked off the street he was on and onto a side road casually. He meandered for a while taking in the sights. It was the first time that he had been in a hidden village that was not Konoha.

He managed to infiltrate Suna with his chameleon cloaking technique rather easily. Still, he couldn't help but be impressed by Suna's defence. For one person with really good stealth capabilities or even a small group, it would not be hard to infiltrate, but for a whole army it would be nearly impossible. The village was like a fort and it was located in the middle of the desert with no cover or anything.

It was no surprise that they hadn't been invaded before,

Naruto's piercing gaze travelled down the street he was now standing on. It was a market place with lots of vendors and civilians, but Naruto could see clear differences in Suna and anywhere else he went to.

The people were much more impersonal and had harsher looks on their faces. Despite the hot weather, the people were cold and unforgiving. Compared to the livelier and happier environments that Naruto had seen on his travels, this was much more dismal. It felt like it was every man for himself.

Naruto liked it.

Nobody even spared him a second glance. Why should they? He was a child. A useless child. He had nothing to offer them so why should they care about him?

They weren't plastic about their feelings.

Naruto listened to the murmuring intently, scouting for information. Anything interesting would do. He didn't know how he was going to steal jutsu, but he wanted to do it without drawing any attention to himself whatsoever.

Existence and recognition was overrated.

"Did you hear…? About that monster?"

Naruto's interest was piqued.

"Yeah, he killed some more people, didn't he? Kazekage-sama should really get rid of him."

"I heard he sends assassins after him," a woman said, looking around. "But he kills them all."

"He's such a monster."

Naruto closed his eyes. Who would be able to get away with that?

"I don't care if he's Kazekage-sama's son. He needs to be put down."

Naruto felt a lot of things falling into place. The Kazekage's son, a monster? Family of Kage's were usually revered. He knew that from first hand experience. They were calling the boy a monster and he had a murderous streak. The boy was also feared and hated by the general populace.

Only one logical explanation ran through Naruto's head.

'_Jinchuuriki.'_

Itachi had told him about the existence of Jinchuuriki and informed him that Natsuko and Kushina were both Jinchuuriki for half of the Kyuubi each. Suddenly, all the hidden malice he felt from the villagers regarding his sister made sense.

Naruto carried on walking. A vaguely interested expression briefly appeared on his face. He had found something to do.

* * *

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto sat at a playground on a swing motionlessly. He looked around with his usual grin on his face. He had scouted the area and found out where the Jutsu were kept. They were kept locked up in the kage tower and Naruto would not be able to get in there without a copious amount of explosives.

Well, he'd just have to find another way. Oh well.

His eyes darted around and he stood up, looking around the area disinterestedly. He then closed them in moderate concentration and then his whole body shivered.

Such an enticing feeling.

He followed it. He walked down a back alley to find a red haired boy his age. The walls were painted red by blood and remains and they boy stared at it apathetically. He was wearing a black body suit and mesh was visible under the short sleeves. He wore a brown scarf similar to Naruto's and he had cold, green eyes that were circled by a thick, black outline. He had a tattoo with the kanji for 'love' on his forehead. On his back was a gourd that carried sand.

'_He's definitely a Jinchuuriki. I can feel the beast's chakra leaking out of him. That confirms my suspicion. Quite awful seal work if I do say so myself.' _He loosened his stance. _'I wonder how that could play into my favour.'_

Naruto grinned,

"Hello," Naruto said cheerfully. The boy stared at him coldly.

"Do you want to die, too?" He threatened.

Naruto didn't flinch, didn't react. "I'd rather not," he said nonchalantly.

The boy's cold green eyes didn't change, but they seemed like they were looking at Naruto more closely, analysing him. He wasn't scared like the rest of the villagers.

"What's your name?" Naruto asked. "Mine's Jin."

The boy didn't reply for a while, but eventually answered. "Gaara."

"Cool," Naruto said. Naruto put a hand on Gaara's shoulder.

'_What?' _Gaara thought. _'Why didn't Mother's sand protect me?'_

Naruto had been watching Gaara. He knew about his ultimate defense and took a gamble. He could tell that Gaara wasn't controlling it, so it must have been his Bijuu. Naruto theorised that if there were no negative intentions or emotions, then the sand wouldn't react to it. He didn't have negative emotions and his negative intentions were masked perfectly. It was a gamble, but he had a feeling it was correct.

"Do you want to be friends?" Naruto with a bright smile. The storm stirred a bit more.

"I have no need for friends," Gaara replied stonily. "My only desire is to prove my existence."

Naruto's eyebrow quirked up. What a strange desire. "You do exist! I can see you! I can feel you! You definitely do exist."

Gaara didn't reply and walked away.

"Can I follow you?"

"Do as you wish," Gaara replied.

'_Heh, that went well,' _Naruto thought._ 'People may think he's a monster, but in the end he's still a human. If he really didn't care about anything else than proving his existence then he would have already killed me.'_

Naruto trailed off after him, his bangs shadowing his eyes as he smirked. The sandy winds bellowed mightily and the nearby insects retreated.

* * *

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Kazekage-sama," A man said, wearing the standard attire of a Suna Jounin.

"What is it?" A man who looked like an older version of Gaara said, wearing white robes that signified his status as a Kage.

"It seems that there has been a young man that has approached Gaara," the jounin said. "Orders?"

"Leave it be," the Kazekage said. "The boy probably doesn't know of Gaara's reputation. Once he does know, he'll be sure to flee and then all notions of love and friendship will be dispelled from Gaara's thoughts."

"Are you sure, Kazekage-sama?"

"Yes. What harm could possibly be done by a child?"

* * *

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**In Konoha**

Minato sat in his office chair, his chin rested on his intertwined fingers. Across him sat Nara Shikaku. A man with black hair pulled back into a spiky ponytail, narrow features, two scars on his face, one across the side of his cheek and one on his forehead and a goatee.

"Tensions are rising Shikaku," Minato said.

Shikaku nodded. "Troublesome. We can't afford another war right now."

"That we can't." Minato agreed. "At least, not yet. We need to do our best to keep tensions down. At least for now."

Shikaku closed his eyes in thought. "It would negatively affect our economy, but it's the safest option. Why don't we cut down on the amount of missions we do near the borders of Lightning country. It would lessen the amount of encounters we have with Kumo ninja and ultimately, the number of disputes."

Minato frowned. "We still need to recover the damage from the Kyuubi attack."

"We can't go to war, Minato. Our only ally from a major village is Suna and that treaty is worth about as much as the paper it is written on."

Minato nodded slowly. "I guess, that's the action we have to take. I really wish that I handled the Hyuuga incident differently."

"I would have done the same," Shikaku admitted. "Kumo were obviously at fault. If it were any other time, we would have gone to war with them. If we gave in, it would make Konoha look weak, a laughing stock and we wouldn't get as many missions, putting the village in an even worse state."

"Yes, I suppose so," Minato agreed. "So, whilst we are avoiding potential conflicts, we re-arm and encourage our soldiers to take a step up in their training," Minato paused. "I don't like it. Peace seems impossible. How can we ever achieve it if we aren't willing to disarm?"

"We don't," Shikaku stated bluntly. "If we disarmed right now, I guarantee that we would be attacked as soon as possible. The same applies for every other shinobi village. That's why it's impossible. The process disarmament would tip the power balance in the world and you would have to have trust that the other nations would not take advantage of it," he sighed. "And trust in a world like this… I don't think it exists. Also, how could you just expect everybody to forget the skills they've spent so much time perfecting and mastering? That wouldn't go down well. It would cause countless conflicts in the village and it would destroy our economy. You know that Minato.'"

Minato didn't answer. He couldn't refute that. Everything he said was right. He already knew it. It was basic knowledge.

Minato sighed. Shikaku, knowing that the conversation was over, stood up and gave Minato a bow. "We have to go for a drink, soon," Shikaku smirked. "You look like you need it."

A grin crawled onto Minato's face. "Sounds good," He ran his hands through his spiky locks. "If I have time, anyway."

"Troublesome," Shikaku muttered, holding his hand up in a casual wave as he walked away.

* * *

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto walked next to Gaara with his hands in his pockets. He took a brief look around.

All eyes were on him or rather, Gaara. Parents stood in front of their children protectively and ninja looked at the duo wearily. The night sky had darkened slightly and as Naruto's eyes scanned the streets, lights seemed to go off as he passed off and doors started to shut in succession.

Gaara didn't react. He just looked forward and walked, not taking notice of the cautious acts.

"Monster," he heard somebody whisper.

"What's that kid doing around that demon? He'll die!"

Hushed whispers of panic tickled Naruto's ears sensuously. The weary glances and the purposeful avoiding of Gaara stirring up pleasure in the deepest pits of his stomach.

Naruto looked at Gaara with a serious expression. "Why do you take it from them? You deserve better."

Gaara was silent for a second, but finally answered. "I don't care what they think."

Naruto shook his head silently.

"I don't believe that."

Gaara gave something of a glare to Naruto. "Somebody like you could never understand. The only thing that matters to me is proving my existence. Nothing more. Nothing less."

"Why… do you believe that?" Naruto asked hesitantly, feigning emotion perfectly.

"I'll humour you." Gaara said flatly. He didn't know why he was opening up to this boy. Maybe it was because he had bypassed Shukaku's, the one tailed Bijuu, ultimate defense. Maybe it was because he wanted to open up his heart again. To trust once more… somewhere deep down. "I was raised in isolation. My father taught me technique after technique. I thought that was love. I thought that he loved me. I was wrong." He was still completely stoic and the streets were bare and empty now.

"Love," he spoke. "Let me tell you what that word means to me. Ever since I was six years old, my father has been trying to kill me. I turned from his ultimate weapon to a liability. I was just a mistake that he wanted to get rid of… so why did I exist? Why do I live?"

Naruto listened sharply. His face blank once more.

"I decided… that I would only love myself. That I would only fight for myself. Everybody else is a stepping stone to magnify my love."

Gaara looked at Naruto coldly. "Do you understand now?"

Naruto's eyes turned calculating.

"Yes," Naruto said firmly. Gaara's eyes widened. Before Naruto could say anything more, he twitched and instinctively moulded chakra as kunai came flying to their position. He did a quick replacement technique as there was an explosion. There was a small cactus plant where Naruto previously was. Naruto's eyes flickered to the side to see Gaara controlling sand, lifting a Jounin up in the air.

"Die," Gaara stated coldly, sand consuming the man. Gaara squeezed his hand and the sand crushed the man with no hesitation. Naruto replaced himself with the cactus once more, meeting the disconnected stare of Gaara with his own.

They were silent, the sound of the wind blowing around tore through the area.

"Why did you kill him?" Naruto asked.

"To prove my existence," Gaara replied. "I thought you understood."

"I do," Naruto replied cooly. "But-," he started.

Sand whirled around Gaara threateningly.

"What's the point of existing if there's nobody to acknowledge your existence?" Naruto asked bluntly and Gaara's eyes widened in shock. "If you keep on killing people… there won't be anybody left to kill and then what? What's the point of existence if you have nobody to share it with?"

Gaara couldn't answer.

"If nobody is around to acknowledge your existence, then after you die, your existence will vanish forever. Nobody will remember you. You will be lost to time. Time can be forgiving. Time can be kind, but ultimately, time is ruthless. Time doesn't care about you or how many people you kill. Even the strongest people in the world lose to time..."

Naruto paused.

"Think back into history. The ones that are remembered. The ones that existed. Those are the ones that are remembered, right? Uchiha Madara, Senju Hashirama, they were all acknowledged in their own way. Your intention is good. But your methods are wrong. Don't you understand the value of a human life? Without human life, you can't be acknowledged."

"What does it mean to exist?" Naruto stated. "Is it to be real? To be able to be felt? To have an effect on somebody? If you've killed every man on the earth to prove your existence, then do you really exist anymore? Reality is an illusion. Isolation births numbness. If there's nobody around then you can't have an effect on anybody. Is that what you want? An empty existence?"

Shukaku stirred inside of Gaara's mindscape. _'Those words… they're just like father's. Is he the one?'_

Gaara's sand dropped.

"Mother…" he muttered, clutching his head.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Gaara," Naruto said as he walked into the shadows, vanishing into the abyss of night.

* * *

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

It was the evening of the next day. The sky had darkened drastically. Naruto's eyes were cold as he watched Gaara walk several steps ahead of him. He had given Gaara a few things to think about and Naruto could tell that he was. His confusion was at his peak and little by little, some of his humanity had been restored.

'_If you glue together a broken vase, then drop it again… the vase will be broken even more than it initially was.'_

Naruto grunted, gaining Gaara's attention. Gaara turned back and gave Naruto a look that he could recognise by spending so much time with Itachi. It translated the message, _'What the hell is the matter?'_

Naruto's head tilted to the shadowy side street and he gave Gaara a meaningful look.

Suddenly, a ninja rushed out of a dark alley way at Gaara, Jacket opened and explosive tags attached to his body. Gaara, reacting quickly, encircled him in sand and crushed him on reaction, an explosion going off in the sand.

Gaara looked at the remains of the body, the blood and the crushed insides, stoically. The words of 'Jin' running through his head. _'Am I doing the right thing, mother?' _

There was no reply.

Naruto stood next to him his eyes were open.

"That was instinctual," Naruto said out loud. "Like a monster."

Gaara's body seized up.

Naruto moulded some chakra and Gaara's eyes widened as he felt the build up. He saw the smirk on Naruto's face as chains shot from the ground and restrained him. Naruto had made the chains some out of his feet as to ambush Gaara. He could move a few steps, but no more than that. Gaara's sand was not prepared to deal with the sneak attack from the boy it deemed no threat. The chains were doing their job and restraining the Bijuu chakra.

Naruto stared in Gaara's eyes. Gaara's eyes were a reflection of Naruto's.

"People always call you a monster, don't they?" Naruto said in a slow monotone. His whole demeanour had changed. His voice was calm, but had a peaceful undertone.

"You're not a monster, though… you're human." Naruto got into Gaara's face. "A monster can kill anybody without remorse, but you're nothing but a fake. You're definitely human, I can hear your heart weeping" He touched the tattoo on Gaara's forehead "I can feel your yearning for love. You know what you are doing is wrong, don't you?" He gave Gaara a knowing look. Gaara froze at the question. Mother had said it was okay, but he was having his own doubts after hearing what 'Jin' said yesterday.

"But it is all you know, isn't it? You keep on killing and killing, so that one day you may become a monster… so you can forsake your humanity, to get rid of that painful wistfulness that always burdens your heart… but you can't can you?" Naruto's tone was silky smooth and Gaara was entranced. He couldn't really deny a word that 'Jin' said, but what brought about this change in him?

"You kill and you kill yet it never works. Do you think that by pretending to be a monster…" Naruto pointed at his heart and looked in Gaara's dead green eyes with his dead blue ones "...your actions are justified?"

Naruto's dull, sub zero, blue eyes were a window into his soul. Since when had they changed colours? He could see ice. The cold sensation ravaged his body. The frosty temperature crept through his form, reaching his heart slowly and protectively wrapping around it. For a second, he felt safe. Then his heart was shattered by the sensation. Gaara looked around the dark, dank cave that was Naruto's soul. The only light came from weak candles that were circled around all the walls. The mist that emanated from the ice cleared slightly, revealing a silhouette in the middle. It was a beast, that much he could tell. There were wings and the shadow ripped human forms out of the ice and started consuming. More and more. It ate everybody it touched.

It shook Gaara's soul.

He could hear strangled screams, abruptly cut off by the wrath of the devil. He could hear the crunching sounds. They tormented him. The shadow of blood splatter spewed relentlessly as the beast ate and ate.

Gaara described himself as nothing but a monster, but this boy… he was the real monster. A beast that consumed and consumed but was never satisfied.

Gaara gasped. For the first time in four years, for the first time since he was betrayed by the only person who ever loved him, for the first time since he became a monster… for the first time he felt fear. He was not the only one who felt it. Shukaku did too.

'_He's not powerful… but those eyes… I've never seen anything like them. There's no hate. No love. No ambition. Only hunger.' _Shukaku thought, the tailed beast shocked out of his insanity.

'_Is that his mind?' _Gaara wondered. _'He showed me that just by looking at me?'_

Gaara winced in pain as his Bijuu tried to break out. What little mental control he had was squandered by Naruto's mental barrage on him. Was this the truth? He didn't know. He was so confused. He didn't know what to think anymore. When faced with a problem that didn't involve killing, his mind was inexperienced. He hadn't needed to think of any other thoughts… but this boy came along, challenging everything he knew.

"Kill him," Gaara heard Shukaku say. _'I don't care for humans… but he's too dangerous to let live, even for us Bijuu.'_

"Mother… wants your blood!"

Naruto's lips twitched in amusement. Slowly, he brought his arm up into a click and the golden chains vanished. He immediately disappeared when Gaara clutched his head, the pain tearing through him like a knife.

He dropped to his knees, sand covering his body and his eye turning yellow with insanity.

"Mother… wants your blood, Jin!" sand formed up his arm and into a massive tail with blue vein-like lines running down it. He felt a couple of ninja rush towards him, checking out the commotion and feeling the demonic chakra. They went to apprehend him, but with one swipe of his tail, they were gone.

"WHERE ARE YOU, JIN?"

Naruto watched casually.

'_It's been a fun game, Suna.' _He thought. _'But it looks like I'm going to win.'_

His eyes lit up in amusement.

'_Nobody is going to care about a few jutsu with a Bijuu running loose.'_

Gaara laughed maniacally and Naruto watched as more sand enveloped him relentlessly. He looked like a miniature racoon. Naruto chuckled.

'_But I might as well call checkmate.'_

The sand around Suna rose into the air like smoke. The civilians had retreated and the ninja were trying to stop Gaara.

It was futile.

Explosive tags, kunai, jutsu, it was all hopeless.

"Restrain him!"

"Hold him off until Kazekage-sama gets here!"

It was too late.

Smoke covered Gaara's form and everybody in the area froze. All the buildings in the radius were crushed like ants. Civilians, shinobi, nobody was spared from the titanic raccoon that had just taken over Gaara.

"HAHAHA, I'M FREE!" Shukaku roared. "NOW WHERE'S THE BRAT?"

Naruto looked around. The fear… he could smell it. He could hear strangled sobs in the area; the reality was sinking in for the inhabitants of Suna. The sandy floor was transformed into a pile of rubble, from what was not under rubble, Naruto could see small, underdeveloped arms sticking out. There were tiny sandals for the feet of children carelessly strewn around the area.

'_Although, the beast knows that I exist. Not who I am, though. Still, that could cause a few problems. I don't like loose ends.'_

The Kazekage arrived on the scene. His arms were crossed as he stared down his demonic offspring. Gold dust started stirring around him lifting up into a massive wall.

"I'll stop him," the Kazekage said stonily.

Naruto's smile reached his ears. He withdrew a coin out of his pocket.

'_Checkmate.'_

The coin glowed with wind chakra. Naruto raised his hand and threw it. The Kazekage, too slow to react, turned his head back, sensing something wrong. His eyes widened as the coin neared his face.

It happened in a split second

The coin hit.

"Game over," Naruto remarked, vanishing before anybody could see him.

'_With the perfect throwing technique, I can make the coin fly silently. He was killed by the smaller threat.'_

"Oh my, things don't look good for Suna," Naruto chirped quietly in the shadows.

"KAZEKAGE-SAMA!"

* * *

**Bleh, this chappie was easier to write. I don't think I rushed this at all. After all, who expects a child to do things like this. I suppose these arcs are Naruto's major growing points; his character development. I've referenced child like activities - eating ice cream, breaking toys... things that don't last basically, to imply that this is still all a game to Naruto but not for long. These past two chapters - and the next - are basically what the Wave arc was to canon where Naruto finds his resolve and reason to fight.**

**People tend to forget to develop emotionless characters. I don't want to fall into the same trap. At the same time, I don't want to waffle on about unrelated crap that you don't really give a shit about like 2000 words on Naruto waking up and his thoughts about it. (I see so much of that, it is so irritating). I try to have at least something happening in a chapter that serves some sort of purpose.**

**Loads of people have been asking me if I based Naruto off Kotomine Kirei... I haven't even watched F:SZ or F:Z so that's a no, but I will watch it when I have time. **

**Feel free to review; it'd make my day ^_^**


	7. The Beginning of the End

**I don't own Naruto.**

The ground trembled. The cry of the behemoth sent shockwaves through the area. The shrill screams haunted the earth. Destroyed buildings; upturned land; a blood soaked world; broken soldiers, helpless against the fury of the beast; crushed civilians, groaning, crying, wailing, shouting for mercy, roaring to the heavens; and a lone monster, annihilating everything that stood in its path.

Chaos.

Smoke emanated from every corner of the village, trying to escape from the wrath of the Bijuu. The storm was blasting through the desert. Sand formed titanic tidal waves that lumbered with the flow of the tremors. Wind tore into the land like a depraved beast: hungry, craving. The scorching, sweltering, sun slowly roasted the people of the world.

'_I'm almost there… and I might have gone a little overboard. I definitely could have done this differently. But it's more fun this way.'_

Naruto pounced into the core of the village. The Kage tower. It was a spherical, sandy building. It was large and it stood out as the heart of the village. Naruto grinned cheerfully. Landing into the building in a crouching position, his looked around before nodding to himself.

'_Just as I thought. Nobody is going to bother protecting the Kage tower with a dead Kazekage and a Bijuu on the loose. Now I can get in and out undetected.'_

Naruto raised his hands and performed several rapid hand seals. His hands were a blur as he molded chakra for a technique.

"Chameleon technique: Phantom Cloak," he muttered and his form shimmered into nothingness. His shadow was still on the floor, however. The shadow rushed through the building, charging through multiple doors without so much as a sound. He finally reached his destination. A large metal door with a wheel-like device on the middle. He approached it and his body slowly became visible once more.

"Just as I thought," he muttered. "There's a fuuinjutsu lock." He looked at the seals inscribed on the wall and his grin grew a little.

'_Suna are really not too good at fuuinjutsu, eh? Gaara's seal and now this… waste of space? It's like a regular lock. You don't even have to break down the seal. You can just blow the door.'_

"Oh my," he muttered. "How simple."

One by one he attached explosive tags all around the door and when he was done, with the help of a litlle wall walking, he took a step back.

"All done," he declared. "Now," he said, walking out of the room casually, his hand held up in a seal. "Let's complete this, shall we?"

There was an explosion. It went unnoticed as everybody was focusing on the rampaging beast outside. Now done, the room was exposed. It was a mundane place. Dank, grey walls, rows of scrolls lined up in monotonous rows. There was a dull light in the centre of the high ceiling.

Naruto's customary grin widened.

He walked down the rows of scrolls slowly and purposefully. His finger lightly brushed over each one. He felt the crisp bumps of each scroll and some particles of dust danced off the scrolls and some took refuge on his finger.

Some were documents on happenings of the village, some were jutsu and some were information about various kekkai genkai and research that was exclusive to Suna.

There were a few scrolls on puppeteering. Puppets were Suna's speciality. No other village knew the secrets to Suna's puppeteering; it was special.

Naruto had no use for it, though.

His eyes wandered over to a large scroll in the corner of the room. That must have been Suna's equivalent to the forbidden scroll or something. That was very useful. It was big, though. He'd have to seal it away. That was no problem.

Reaching into his pocket, his pulled out a scroll and unravelled it revealing a large sealing matrix. He walked over to the large scroll and it disappeared in a puff of smoke.

He stalked towards the wind jutsu section and scanned the scrolls for the minor techniques there. Those were what he was really interested in. A C ranked jutsu could mean the difference between life and death. They didn't use much chakra and were adaptable to many different situations.

After a minute or two of deciding, he pulled out five useful techniques. They were basic techniques, but basic techniques that were special to Suna. Much like how you wouldn't see many people use a Grand Fireball jutsu outside of konoha even though the jutsu wasn't hard to do, you wouldn't see many people using a Wind Bullet jutsu outside of Suna. They weren't massive secrets or anything, it was just how techniques were passed down between sensei and student in each village.

**Fuuton: Wind Cutter jutsu**

**Fuuton: Wind Scythe jutsu**

**Fuuton: Wind Bullet jutsu**

**Fuuton: Wind Barrier jutsu**

**Fuuton: Wind Sword jutsu**

He sighed. There wasn't that much that was useful there. He had access to many wind jutsu already, so there wasn't much that he could use. Most of the stuff was related to puppetry. There weren't many water techniques. All the ones that were there were fairly well known; Itachi had given him the scrolls for many of them but he hadn't gotten around to learning them yet. That was a shame. Water was Naruto's second affinity, but it didn't matter much to him because he hadn't trained his water affinity that much. He had just managed to get the leaf soaked and hadn't gotten any further.

Sealing away other techniques, ignoring the chaos outside of the building outwardly, but inwardly relishing in the negative feelings, he put his hands behind his head. He could sell those techniques he had stolen or use them as bargaining chips.

He was never opposed to giving foolish people more ways to kill each other.

He walked out of the vault room and looked back at it.

'_The blood inside of my veins in boiling, racing in pleasure. This destruction… this death… this chaos. It's where I belong! I love it. I've never felt pleasure like this before One of the five great nations on its knees. I've never felt so satisfied before.'_

His eyes glazed over and in his vision appeared the reflection of himself. The scaly green monster. It was smirking. Naruto gave it a questioning look, but it faded to reveal a lifeless puppet in the corner of the room giving him a dead stare with its soulless wooden eyes. Naruto returned it with a matching look.

'_But I need more. It's still not enough.'_

He turned back and his face relaxed into its blank state. He took a breath and his closed eye smile inhabited his face once more.

A shockwave vibrated through the earth.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

A titan.

An army.

One maniacal laugh.

One thousand tears.

Lustful pleasure.

Pure despair.

The racoon swiped its tail leaving a wave of destruction in its wake. The power of the beast slowly crushed the insides of the Suna shinobi. Hands shook around kunai, which were useless anyway. Something of a sick grin crossed the face of the Bijuu as the ground ominously shook.

"**Wind Bullet!" **the beast cried. An oversized shot of wind blasted out of Shukaku's mouth. It tore a straight line through at least a dozen shinobi and double the amount of civilians. It left a tunnel of cataclysmic destruction.

"Don't back down!" A lone man yelled shakily. It came out as more of a gasp than the confident statement it was supposed to be. He was not going to convince anyone.

A line of Suna Shinobi rushed to the front. In unison, they ran through multiple hand seals and called out their jutsu. Wind was expelled from their bodies, colliding against the natural disaster fruitlessly as it just shook of the attacks with something akin to annoyance. One glance was all it took and they were choking on the killer intent of a savage.

Realising the situation, one man in the crowd of fodder's hand was paralysed and the short sword he was holding in his slack hand slid out. This prompted the men and women around him to come to the same realisation…

They were going to die.

As their light faded, their fire grew stronger.

Hate.

They hated the beast. They hated the boy. They hated their weakness.

Their hate caused this.

Despite all the chaos, the area was silent as Shukaku stood idle, relishing in all the chaos that only a natural disaster could bring. They were already mourning their own deaths.

A slow grin grew on the sandy raccoon's face. It savagely ravaged the souls of the unwilling citizens of Sunagakure.

One person, though, didn't back down. An old woman, not much taller than a child. She had pale purple hair, a rounded face with deep set lines on and liver spots on her forehead and cheek. She wore a hat that matched her hair colour with a bobble on the top and had a baggy gown on that covered her whole body.

Her face was grim with determination and just the slightest hint of resignation. Ten white puppets were attached to glowing blue strings that originated from her fingers.

"An old woman like me has made many mistakes," she said calmly. "But as her time comes to an end, she can still do what's right and what's right is protecting her village with her life."

She glared up at Shukaku.

She would stop this wanton destruction right now.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto stood just inside the crippled village of Suna. Buildings had toppled. The streets were littered by that of the dead. There were lines of tents for people who had lost their homes to sleep in. His grin remained on his face, contrasting with all the lifeless and despairing expressions on the citizens of Suna but nobody was paying enough attention to him to care.

Fruits were on the floor, not picked up in the panic of the attack. The academy had collapsed. Practice kunai were laying there like corpses. Naruto saw a small, underdeveloped limb poking out of the rubble.

Even in times like this, the village was so harsh and self centred that it would leave a child's corpse to rot. Well, maybe nobody noticed it. Either way, it was a sight to see.

Well, it only had been one day and what an amusing one day it had been. Over half of Suna's fighting force was reduced to mere fodder as they were slain one by one by the mighty Bijuu. Jounin, chunin, civilian, it didn't matter who you were: your life was at forfeit. The Bijuu nearly managed to break free, but with the combined effort of many, they had finally managed to wake up Gaara and stop the chaos. It was an old woman, the famous puppeteer of Suna, Chiyo.

But the damage had been done. The Kazekage was dead. Suna had been looted. Thousands were killed.

And that's why Naruto was here...

To make it worse.

Naruto walked around a corner and felt for Gaara's presence intently. He was a very good sensor. He wasn't the best sensor in the world and had to concentrate deeply for his sensing to be accurate, but he was good at it.

He licked his lips.

Vanishing into the dust of the desert, nobody was aware of his disappearance.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"We should really kill this monster," A Suna jounin sneered, looking at the stoic red haired boy that was sitting in the cage, his eyes unfocused and his face blank.

"I know," His partner replied. "But we need him alive for now. We're weak and having a monster on our side if things go south can only work in our favour."

"He's a loose cannon."

"He's all we have to survive. If other countries catch wind of our situation we'll get invaded for sure."

The man snorted. "How are we supposed to hide this from other countries?"

"By killing anybody who tries to leave the village. No exceptions."

"That's a bit harsh."

"It's what's necessary. What needs to be done need to be do-," the man was cut off as his eyes went wide and so did his partner's. They stumbled on their feet and lost balance.

A dull thump resounded through the dark room as the two bodies fell to the floor like sandbags in perfect synchronisation. They had Kunai planted in the top of their heads and blood slowly pooled from their cranium.

Naruto dropped down from the ceiling, landing in between their bodies with a grin.

"Oh my, you guys don't look too good," Naruto said jovially. He crouched and looked at their dead bodies. "Are you feeling okay?"

The corpses didn't reply.

"No reply, huh?" Naruto said to himself, ignoring Gaara's presence. "I'll drop by later and give you a 'get well soon card'."

"Who are you?" Gaara said.

Naruto turned around, a bright grin on his face. "How nice to see you again, Gaara-kun," Naruto chirped. Gaara gave him a dark look.

"Don't play games. Who are you?"

"Forgotten me already?" Naruto asked, clutching his heart. "You might just make me cry. How could you? I thought we were friends?"

Shukaku stirred in Gaara's mindscape, but Gaara couldn't hear him. All his Bijuu chakra had been sealed off.

'_It's him!' _The Bijuu thought. _'I can feel the darkness pouring off him. There's no mistake that it's that brat.'_

"Jin?" Gaara asked. The boy looked enough like him except for the fact he had blond hair instead of brown. He couldn't see his eyes because of the large grin on his face, but he had felt that aura before.

"Well, that's not my name. But who you thought was Jin… that was me."

"Why are you here? I'll kill you."

Naruto's stance loosened. He threw a coin into the cell, reached his chakra out and did a quick Kawarimi to get in there. The reason Gaara couldn't do that was because his chakra was sealed off.

Now inside the cell, he approached Gaara slowly. Gaara sat completely still, looking at Naruto's approaching form.

"Go on, kill me then," Naruto said. "You've already killed thousands. What's one more life?"

Gaara didn't move.

"Surely for a monster like you it would be easy," Naruto reached into his kunai pouch and laid out a kunai in front of Gaara. Naruto tilted his head up and put a finger to his jugular. "Kill me. It's not a problem for somebody who doesn't care for human life."

"Shut up," Gaara said quietly. He didn't want to be a monster. Not anymore. He had already killed enough people. If he killed any more people there would be nobody left to acknowledge his existence. He didn't want… he didn't want to become like the boy in front of him. He was fine as he was. The concept of turning into a monster like Naruto was something that was too fearsome to comprehend.

He was born human. A dog would always be a dog, a tiger would always be a tiger and a human would always be a human.

Just like a monster would always be a monster.

He could become anything other than a pitiful replica of this presence in front of him; he couldn't force himself to become the one thing he feared.

"One simple cut and my life would be over. It would be all over. I would cease to exist."

Naruto smiled gently.

"Come on… become a real monster. Prove to me that yesterday wasn't a one off." Naruto lowered himself to his knees and picked up the kunai and rested it on his own jugular. "My life is in your hands."

Gaara clutched his head. "Shut up!" He roared. "Leave me alone!"

"Make me leave you alone," Naruto said calmly. He handed Gaara the kunai and Gaara grasped it with shaky hands. For the first time, the thought of killing somebody was making him hesitate.

"Shut up!" Gaara roared again. It would be so easy to kill him, to take his life away, but a new fear gripped his heart. The fear of becoming a real monster. The fear of him killing everybody around him. The fear of losing his humanity.

These new fears roused his old fears. The fear of his existence fading.

"You can't do it?" Naruto asked. "You can't become a monster? Nobody is ever going to love you. You don't want to be human, but you can't become a monster. You don't even know what you are. I know what you are, though."

Naruto's smile darkened.

"Weak. You're weak. Nothing but a worthless waste of flesh. You can't even kill me. What worth does your life have? What happened to the cold and ruthless killer I met a few days ago?"

Gaara shivered. _'I'm not weak, am I? I can't be weak!' _

"A life like yours is not worth living. You want to abandon your humanity and yet you don't want to be a monster? There's no middle line. So weak willed… you can't even make a simple decision. You should just end it all."

Gaara's eyes were wide. His body was shaking. He was re-evaluating his whole life. The mental stress was a weight that crushed Gaara's brain slowly. The confusion was making him docile and Naruto was the one who was controlling him.

His resolve turned into clay. It had been battered again and again and it had been made tender.

Gaara looked at the kunai in his hand. He didn't hear Shukaku rage in his head. _'KILL HIM!'_

Gaara raised the kunai. His hand was a string on a marionette puppet. Now that his chakra was sealed, he wasn't protected by Shukaku's sand.

"You've never felt pain before, have you?" Naruto asked, but Gaara didn't listen. He just sunk the Kunai into his heart. He grunted and his body fell forward onto the cold and hard ground

Naruto grinned. He saw a pillar of energy shooting out of Gaara's body, making the boy levitate in the air and smashing through the underground dungeon they were located in. The Bijuu's chakra had left Gaara's body and the beast had been left to reform.

"What an interesting few days," Naruto mused. He could have just killed Gaara himself, but it was much more entertaining this way.

'_I've just realised the importance of Fuuinjutsu more than ever,' _Naruto thought, thinking of Suna's laughable skills with the art. _'I want to get better. I'm going to have to visit 'home'.'_

Naruto turned Gaara's dead body over and looked at his face that was liberated from all the pressures, pains and evils of being alive. In this state, Gaara was no different to all the villagers who were dead by his, or rather, the beast's hand.

Naruto reached down and pulled Gaara's dead lips into a smile with his two fingers. When he pulled his fingers away, Gaara's face immediately reverted back to its peaceful state.

"That would have made a cute picture. That's a shame," Naruto murmured. He picked up his coin and threw it outside the cell, using kawarimi to get out once more.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The fog hovered ominously over the coast of Wave. The fresh sea air carried a faint underlying scent of iron. The body of water was an endless abyss that would swallow anybody who would dare to dive into it. The grey clouds, that were masked by the thick fog, were set into smoky frowns and the wood on the pier was loose with wear, ready to cave in any second.

Naruto sat at the port of Wave Country under the guise of Gatou.

"But Gatou-sama!" A man protested, wearing a blue top and grey shorts.

"No buts," Naruto said. "I'll get your whole family executed if you don't take me where I want to go."

The man gulped.

"But nobody has ever returned from trying to get to The Land of Eddies"

"Bah, like I care. That's probably some sort of myth to scare away people. I'm one of the most powerful men in the world; I won't be killed by something as stupid as a myth."

"It's not a my-," The man started.

"Men!" 'Gatou' called out, his thugs emerging from the smoke.

The man gulped once more.

"Okay, Gatou-sama," the boat worker said finally.

"Good," Gatou said. "Now let's get going, time is money."

"C-Can't I tell my family w-where I'm going?"

"No, you should feel privileged enough to escort me. And, well, I don't want anybody getting any funny ideas about actually overthrowing me."

The man bowed his head submissively, gritting his teeth when he thought that Gatou couldn't see.

Naruto smirked underneath the guise of Gatou. He couldn't let the information that he was going to Uzushiogakure get out. They'd all expect him to be dead… and that wouldn't do.

'_The bitterness of oppression… what an intriguing thing.'_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The waves mauled each other. Lighting roared. The air cried.

A lone boat was in the middle of it all.

There was an island nearby. It wasn't large, but it still looked like it was judging all that approached it. Silhouetted, tilted buildings pondered something and there was a red glow.

'Gatou' Sat in the middle of the rocking boat calmly. His two bodyguards were sat next to him.

"We're nearly there," 'Gatou' said.

One of the men blinked. "How do you know?"

Naruto looked forward, ignoring the captain if the ship's curious glance.

"I can feel it," 'Gatou' said cryptically.

"What?"

Naruto didn't reply.

'_My chakra feels like it's intertwining of that of the land. Like I'm back where I belong.' _ Naruto closed his eyes. _'But words like belonging don't mean anything to me.'_

"We're going to have to split ways," Naruto said, standing up and balancing himself on the wavy boat with chakra. Out of 'Gatou's' suit pocket, he pulled out three kunai and before the bodyguards and the boat owner could react, they were already dead with kunai sticking out of their heads.

"I don't need you anymore."

The storm was just temporary and he would be able to find a way back. He didn't need some cowering civilians holding him back. He just needed the boat. He could have just taken it, but it was easier to do it this way.

Naruto's henge dropped and he walked out on to the deck of the ship. His golden hair billowed in the wind and his icy blue eyes stared down his target.

"I feel like something is going to change," Naruto muttered.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto approached the tall, wooden gates of the village. His eyes scanned them. They were worn and rotting with age and neglect, but what intrigued him was the wear and tear obviously caused by different elemental attacks.

There were scorch marks, dents from blunt force, signs of something that resembled erosion, kunai and shuriken and small craters from explosions.

"How intriguing," Naruto muttered. He noticed that they didn't break the wall. He closed his eyes as his mind raced through different possibilities.

'_The only option was over or under… of course under. Iwa were clearly involved.'_

Naruto wasn't told the story of how Uzu fell, he was just told that it had fell by his mother. It was obviously a hard thing to talk about for her.

He had never met his relatives so he couldn't bring himself to give a damn.

Well, he wouldn't care if he had met them anyway.

Naruto looked at the gate and closed his eyes.

"There's a fuuinjutsu key," he muttered. He took a closer look at it. "I'm not skilled enough to bypass something like that."

He thought for a second. "Maybe I don't have to."

He bit his thumb and spread his blood over the lock. The gate glowed.

"Is that it?"

He pushed the gate and felt it shift a little. "I thought so," he muttered. Resting both his hands on the gate, he pushed with a rare grunt of exertion. His upper body strength was not as good as it could be.

The gate swung over and Naruto was immediately assaulted by the faint scent of death that had lessened with age, but hadn't been completely eradicated and something that he couldn't quite describe. His eyes widened to massive proportions. It was the biggest reaction he had ever had to anything.

The whole village had a red tint. He could barely make out a river in the distance. It looked like a pool of blood There were various high rise buildings that were slumped with despair and horror. There were mountains in the distance, grassy and uncared for. In every crack there were spider webs, overgrown but dead, brown grass and decades worth of dust.

That's not what had entranced Naruto, though.

Kunai; shuriken; swords; bones, isolated by decayed flesh that was no longer there; dried blood, stained on the ground for eternity; and the remnants of a ferocious battle. Naruto took a few steps forward, the permanent scent of iron hypnotising him and consuming him as he absorbed all the destruction and death around him. He stepped on some rubble and looked to the side to see a soulless skull scanning him with its empty eye sockets. A splatter of almost black blood was etched onto the wall permanently.

Naruto took a look to the side and saw various holes in the ground where Iwa had used earth jutsu to break in.

He could feel the aged bloodlust and he was enlightened by the terror.

People had always been like this.

War, violence, suffering. That's what the world lived off. Peace and prosperity was an illusion. It was man's fate to to destroy and suffer. New, glorious countries built on the foundation of old, vanquished countries. It never changed. As much as humans changed, what didn't change was their desire for war and their natural inclination to conflict.

In fact, it evolved. He was sure that before people knew how to utilise their chakra, there was still fighting going on, but new weapons were created and more destruction was caused. That was the truth. The peaceful world was a lie, an illusion. There was only one reality.

Despair.

There was no hope. Humans could never change.

From a young age, Naruto had been exposed to the truth. He had been able to sense negative emotions. He could tell that nobody was genuine; Everybody harboured some form of dislike for everybody.

Except for him, but he was a special case.

He could smile in somebody's face and stab people in the back with no problem and so could everybody else. The difference between him and everybody else, though, was that he never claimed to be a nice person. Most other people were so self righteous that they believed what they were doing was right, so taken by the lie that was reality that they believed that they could do no wrong.

He didn't want to live in an illusion. A reality where people could mercilessly destroy a village to maintain a 'balance' that didn't exist. It wasn't that he didn't like the fighting, because he did. What he disliked was that everybody was so plastic. Dislike was not the right word… he held it in disdain. Living a lie was no fun at all. Once people realised the truth then the world would be a much more interesting place.

He looked up into the sky and clasped his head as he was hit by a vicious pain that shook his brain harshly. Images of a broken Suna flashed through his mind, a hopeless Wave country. He closed his eyes and when he opened them he was blinded.

It was a fire.

The fire blazed throughout the village. It destroyed everything. Tearing into the world with reckless abandon. The raging inferno soared in magnificent towers that prodded the bases of the clouds that resided in the heavens.

Naruto looked down and there was a silhouette walking out of the fire.

His eyes widened when the figure slowly revealed itself.

It was him. An older version of him that looked around 17 years old. He had a soothing smile on his face and he was wearing a sleeveless blue gi, black shinobi pants and black sandals that reached just below his knee. He was holding a black haori over his shoulder and had one hand in his pocket.

"You.." Naruto said, and then he blinked. The image faded and he was staring at the ruins of Uzushiogakure once more. The illusion… no that wasn't an illusion. That was the truth. The truth was an epiphany; he was enlightened.

"What was that?" Naruto said breathlessly. He composed himself immediately, but his face was blank and his eyes were even more disconnected than usual.

He slowly started walking, entranced by his surroundings.

'_War...'_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto stumbled into a rocky cave. The muffled sound of water colliding against the rocks teased Naruto's ear drums soothingly. Naruto grunted uncharacteristically as he walked into the darkness.

He didn't know why he was here. He had salvaged notable buildings for any fuuinjutsu scrolls. He was able to reach them because of his Uzumaki blood and chakra. The seals weren't just blood seals, you had to fuse chakra in your blood, too. Uzumaki chakra was distinctive because of it's high density. It could only be Uzumaki chakra, or Senju chakra, but the Senju clan and Uzumaki clan were trusted allies. This prevented enemy ninja from just using blood from a corpse to access the seals.

It was rather impressive.

Abandoning those useless thoughts, Naruto felt compelled to come here. The reached the end of the cave where there was a dull light.

Intrigued, he approached it and to his surprise, there was a worn out plaque stuck to the wall. In front of it lay a katana. It had a black hilt with blue wrapping. Its guard was the Uzumaki crest and it had a 24" long blade that had had a slight curve to it and was covered by a blue sheath.

By all means, it should not have looked like it was in such a good condition.

Naruto neared the faded plaque and read it.

"Oh my," he said as his eyes scanned over it.

_Eyes of a Devil_

_Appetite of a beast_

_He'll douse th…._

_In the quest of a feast_

_The incarnation of sin_

_descendant of the Sage_

_He'll add fuel to the fire_

…_rage_

_He holds no hate_

_No desire to win_

…_._

…_.._

Naruto looked at the plaque blankly. "Is this some sort of prophecy?"

He sighed.

"I can't see all of it. It has been worn with age," he mused out loud. "Oh well," Naruto said, crouching down and placing a hand on the sword.

His eyes widened as he felt a surge of chakra in it.

Picking it up, a green ethereal aura floated off it.

"What's this?" Naruto said. He slowly unsheathed the blade, revealing it to be black, he felt his chakra resonate with it. His eyes scanned over it, and he noticed a white sealing formula on the top of the blade and one on the hilt.

"Hmm," Naruto hummed. Feeling the urge to try something out for an unknown reason, he put his hand on the hilt and imagined a formula for a basic exploding tag whilst channeling chakra. The seal on the top glowed a light blue and Naruto's eyes widened.

He walked up to the cave wall and sent a firm slash at it. His eyes closed in confirmation once he saw the formula for an explosive tag on the wall where he had struck. He retreated from the spot and held his hand up in a single seal. Once he heard an explosion and felt the shockwaves, everything was confirmed.

'_Somehow, the blade forms a link with the user's mind. Probably through fuuinjutsu. You think of a seal whilst channeling chakra in vaguely the correct shape of the formula and it is transferred to the tip of the blade. Its just like how Otou-sama can mark people and objects with the hiraishin formula, but you don't have to have the formula pre-prepared. How did I know that? Was it the mind-link?'_

Naruto grinned. With a goal in mind and a new sword in hand, he was ready to go. He but his thumb and proceeded to do the summoning technique. There was a plume of smoke and out popped Yuurei.

"Hello, Yuurei-san," Naruto said politely.

"What do you want, child?" The chameleon asked irritatedly.

"I'm in Uzu…" Naruto stated simply. "Can you reverse summon me?"

"Seriously? That's what you wanted?"

Naruto nodded.

"My deepest apologies," Naruto said with no remorse whatsoever. "You couldn't leave poor little me to sail alone on the stormy seas alone could you? I might just die."

"Tch… whatever."

"You're so cute when you're angry, Yuurei-san."

The chameleon glared. Well, it gave as much of a glare as it possibly could.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The Tsuchikage sat in his office as he looked at his ANBU operative.

"So you're saying that Suna is heavily weakened by a Bijuu attack and their Kazekage has been killed?"

"Yes, Tsuchikage-sama," the ANBU droned. "If I may offer my opinion, Tsuchikage-sama?"

"Go ahead," Oonoki said, not seeing what harm could be done.

"I think we should take this opportunity to invade Suna. It would allow us to amass more strength and…" the ANBU hesitated.

"Yes?"

"Remember that incident two years ago? With the decapitated head?"

Oonoki narrowed his eyes. "Yes."

"Well the… autopsy, showed that the decapitation could only be done with wind chakra since the cut was so clean therefore there was a large chance that the assailant was from Suna."

"I know that. We contacted the Kazekage about it."

"Of course, Tsuchikage-sama. I was merely reminding you of the fact." He paused. "There is also the many tactical advantages that we would get if we took over Suna."

The Tsuchikage's interest was renewed. "If we ever go to war with Konoha again, we could force them to fight on two fronts, spreading out their manpower and theoretically, if we allied with Kumo… Well, Konoha would not be able to withstand an attack like that."

The Tsuchikage nodded.

"Thank you," he said. "You are dismissed."

The ANBU nodded and vanished in a blur.

"Get me the explosive corps," Oonoki said to the hidden ANBU in his room. "I'm sending them to Suna."

The ANBU that Oonoki had dismissed appeared in a dark alleyway. Behind him stood Naruto.

"Good job," Naruto said.

"Will you tell me where my family is now?"

Naruto nodded.

"I'll take you to them."

The man sighed in relief, but received a kunai to the head.

"I'm not lying, I killed them, too," Naruto chirped. "You shouldn't trust so easily."

Naruto had killed an Iwa ANBU, stolen their uniform and coerced a Taki Jounin into imitating the ANBU for him. He would have done it himself, but he was too short.

Poor little him.

**I decided to skip over most of the Bijuu attack. It really served no purpose to put in - a casual timeskip served the same purpose.**

**In case you're wondering, the fire Naruto saw in Uzu wasn't real... he was having a hallucination of sorts - an epiphany. If you haven't already noticed, Naruto has a few things wrong with him in the head; well I made it pretty obvious. Not much to say. I don't think this was my best chapter... I'm working on improving my ability to create atmosphere. If you have any tips, then that would be great :)**

**Please review :) It'd make my day! **


	8. Playing With Fire

**I don't own Naruto**

* * *

Minato felt like rubbing his temples for the hundredth time today. He refrained, though, due to the situation.

"Danzo-dono," he said tiredly. "I'm well aware of the implications, but we simply don't have the manpower to go to war right now."

Danzo, a wrinkled and worn man with deep set lines in his face, spiky black hair and two narrow, furtive eyes. He had a cross shaped scar on his chin, a mark of war. He wore a grey shirt under a dark, black and suspicious black robe that cloaked all of his body except for his right arm.

"If we allow them to gain more power, then we certainly won't have them manpower to do anything later on," Danzo said evenly, but a condescending undertone was seeping into his speech. Minato stayed composed.

"If we go rushing in underpowered and undermanned, we will undoubtedly be crushed." Minato paused. "Surely you're not forgetting why we are having this discussion. A few weeks ago, war may have been a possibility, but we simply don't have the strength now without Suna even with the strength of me, you, Kakashi and our other notable shinobi and kunoichi."

"There's no other option," Danzo declared. "It is for the good of the leaf village. If we initiate the attack, then we would have the first strike - an advantage we would need if we are ever going to win."

"You don't understand, Danzo. There are other options that don't include war. Don't act by yourself," the threatening undertone was clear in the underlying message.

"You are a fool, Minato. As soon as Iwa invaded Suna, they declared war on us," Danzo said gruffly.

Killing intent rose in the room; a tense silence invaded the conversation.

"That's Hokage-sama to you," Minato glared. "I'm not the Sandaime. I'm not your friend. Don't talk to me so casually or I'll show you why I'm the Hokage."

Danzo met the killing intent and did not waver. "Is that a threat?"

"Yes, it was. So don't act on your own. This is not a democracy. You do not have a say. You're nothing but an advisor. Don't think that you are anything else."

Danzo stared unflinchingly into Minato's cold blue eyes. "I understand, _Hokage-sama._"

Knowing that he wouldn't get his way, he stood up and turned his back. Walking out of the door, he turned back one last time.

"I hope you act in the best interests of Konoha, Hokage-sama," and with that, he walked out, gritting his teeth.

Danzo mentally cursed. What a fool Sarutobi was to put that _child _in power. Orochimaru would have been a much better choice, but _no _he had to choose a young and inexperienced leader. Such foolish notions of peace would not fly in the shinobi world. And by all means, he would crush them. At least he had a backbone, but that wasn't enough to lead a ninja village.

How could he talk about peace when his position represented war? He wasn't fit to be the leader of the village and that's why Danzo wanted to go to war. If Konoha found themselves in a bad position during the war, he could dispatch his ROOT shinobi, his personal ANBU. If he advertised this fact (by spreading rumours), it would make the village grateful to him; he would be hailed as a saviour, a hero. With that sort of power, he could usurp that foolish yondaime and make Konoha rise as the mightiest Shinobi village.

Nothing less would suffice for his home.

* * *

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"**The Ichibi Jinchuuriki is dead." **A deep monotone voice said. A circle of shadowed men were gathered in a dark room. Rinnegan eyes pierced through the darkness, meeting the eyes of the occupants without even looking at them; it felt like it anyway. He was omnipresent: a God.

"How?" One of the shadowy figures said in interest, sharingan eyes glowing.

"**Reports say that he lost control of his Bijuu destroying a large portion of Suna in the process. Elder Chiyo," **this gained the attention of one of the members, his eyes beady. **"Sacrificed her life so that he could regain control."**

A silence invaded the area.

"If his control was regained, then how did he die? Was he executed?"

"**Suicide," **The purple eyed man said, **"But it seems likely that something more was involved. His guards were dead - it could have been assassination."**

"Hn."

"So, Leader-sama, what are we supposed to do?"

"**We wait for the Bijuu to reform and then we capture it. In the meantime, we will start capturing other tailed beasts. Sunagakure are no more. Iwa dispatched the explosive corps in Suna's crippled state and finished the job." **He looked at the figure who asked him the last question. **"Kisame, Itachi. I'm entrusting you two to capture the Nanabi. It is located in Takigakure - don't fail."**

"Yes, Leader-sama," they said in unison.

* * *

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Kumogakure**

"I am restocked," A kumo jounin said jovially. He stretched his limbs out with a massive grin on his face. Returning to his neutral position, he stood up straight and looked down, his straight black hair shadowing his eyes and his smile looking much more sinister.

He walked with his hands in his pockets, a smile on his face and his shoulders loose. It was like he didn't have any weight on them whatsoever. His purple eyes gleamed with a hidden mirth. He looked around the street enthusiastically, looking for anybody to greet.

The street was rocky, much like the rest of the village. The air was dry, but the breeze was consistent. Tall, rocky, brown mountains shielded themselves from view behind the clouds, like a frightened child. The misty clouds dangerously hovered, promising something, anything. What they were promising was ambiguous, but it would certainly not be pleasant.

There were a few Chunin and Genin wandering around. They were mostly wearing the typical clothes of Kumo ninja. Dark clothes: hoodies, shinobi pants, bodysuits - whatever was comfortable - under a white, one armed flak jacket. A majority of the ninja wielded swords or some sort of weapon. The jounin gave them all bright grins.

"Hi!" He chirped.

The people on the street gave amused grins to the man. Many just shook their heads and walked off, offering the man a friendly wave.

He pouted when nobody responded.

"Man those guys are no fun," he said childishly.

He grinned when he saw a bar across the street. "Oh my," he said so quietly so nobody could hear him. "I wonder…"

A fox-like grin erupted on his face.

Making his way to the bar, he entered it and sighed in relief.

"Oh, man, it's been too long," he said. Taking a seat at the bar right next to a grim looking middle aged man with deep set wrinkles, etched into his face by age and stress, he drummed slow beat on the surface with his fingers.

"I swear I did," he heard. There was a scoff.

"You couldn't get a pillow to sleep with you," there was an awkward pause.

"What was that? I'll kick your ass!"

The man next to the cheerful man snorted, hearing the conversation.

"People sure are energetic, aren't they?" The man asked.

"Yeah, I know right," the bubbly man replied.

"Heh, it's because everybody's on edge…" The wizened man looked wistfully at the bar's ceiling. "The situation with Konoha is makin' everybody twitchy. I don't think anything'll come out of it, though," He paused. "Not yet, anyway."

"Geez, I hope not! Don't want to drag the younger generation down for the disputes of old men, right? The genin are so cute; it would be pretty upsetting if they were forced to turn into war veterans so soon."

The older man chuckled. "Yeah, guess so. You fought in the Third War?"

"I was a genin at the time," the man's purple eyes darkened. "But those days are over now."

"I see," the wizened man said in understanding. Kumo wasn't exactly like Konoha. A lot of Genin were expendable in war: cannon fodder. At least under the Sandaime's rule. Things had changed a little bit under the Yondaime; Kumo was still militaristic, but to a lesser extent. There were much fewer kidnapping attempts and he probably wouldn't let a breeding programme take place. In fact, he did not even sanction the Kidnapping of the Hyuga heiress; it was people acting out of loyalty to the Sandaime Raikage.

"Geez, wouldn't it be terrible if another war broke out? Bleh, I don't want to think about it!"

The bartender approached them.

"Shit!" The cheerful man cursed. "I've got an appointment with Raikage-sama!" He shot up out of the stool and rushed out of the door.

"Such a scatterbrained guy," the bartender chuckled. The wizened man narrowed his eyes on the door.

'_Something was off about him.'_

The man ran off and around the corner into an alleyway.

There was a puff of smoke around his body. "Man, that advanced transformation is pretty good," a more childish voice said. The technique was different in that it created something similar to a shadow clone over his body, making the transformation solid.

The smoke cleared and revealed a boy of about 11 with a hooded Haori on that covered all his features. The only thing that was visible in the shadows cast over his face was the glacial blue eyes.

It was Naruto.

"An appointment with Raikage-sama indeed," Naruto said. His hands blazed through three hand seals in under a second. There was an unintelligible murmuring and then his form slowly vanished.

From the edge of the alleyway, the withered man from the bar peered into the darkness to see nothing.

"Shady."

* * *

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The Yondaime Raikage, A, was a man who was easily angered.

So understandably, he was consumed by rage when he saw his secretary unconscious, slumped over her desk. That wasn't a woman who was sleeping. That was a woman who was knocked unconscious.

"What is going on here!" He bellowed in his dark, gravelly voice. Lightning crackled over his dark skin dangerously. His slicked back blond hair stirred and his colossal fists gripped, almost liberating themselves from his golden bracers.

He made an intimidating image. His exposed chest was that of a gorilla's under his open Kage haori. The facial hair on his face was like the whiskers of a beast and his hulking stature dwarfed almost everybody in the village.

He set himself into a pacy walk, bursting through all his doors with reckless abandon. His presence disturbed the eerie silence that haunted the hallways of the building.

He burst into his spacious office to find it empty.

_No._

He did a double take. There was an almost unnoticeable presence in his office. His eyes were pulled to a shadowy figure sitting on his desk with his legs up. The figure was short, the size of a child and he was wearing a hooded haori that cast a dark shadow over his face, revealing nothing to the world. A gritted his teeth. A child? What sort of joke was this?

"Why hello, Raikage-sama," the figure said in a distorted voice. It didn't sound like a voice of a child; it sounded like the voice of some sort of ghostly apparition.

Rage bubbled through A. Who was this… _fool _to break into his office and speak so casually to him.

"Wow this is a nice office," the figure chirped. A narrowed his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" A spoke slowly and dangerously. "Choose your words carefully, because they may be your last!" Electricity sparked off him warningly.

"Wow, what a scary guy," the figure said offhandedly. A could hear the smile in his voice. He could taste the mocking undertone. It was a sour taste in his mouth. It enraged him. This child had said three sentences… three sentences and his desire to squeeze and mutilate was larger than ever. He was a headstrong man, but he had never felt this angry over so little before.

This child knocked out his workers, broke into his office and then had the audacity to _mock _him.

Foolish.

A vanished and appeared right in front of the figure, who didn't move. His fist neared him and was about to make contact, but he found himself punching and _shattering _his office wall, eradicating its existence in an explosion of dust.

The blinked when he noticed his position. He was standing behind his desk, certainly not where he was aiming to go. He felt that the figure was standing up where previously was.

'_He replaced himself with me!?' _A thought in alarm. That was almost impossible to do due to his speed and the difficulty of such an action. Unless…. he prepared it before and even that would take considerable amounts of skill. Realisation hit A like a tsunami. He had read him like it was nothing and that thought sent shivers down the back of his neck. The casual prodding that nobody would have reacted to so harshly got under his skin like a parasite; the jesting undertones made him feel as if the figure was insulting his village's strength.

The fact that he had forced a reaction out of him only made him feel more weak.

"Oh my, like a wild untamed beast you lash out," the figure said with no venom whatsoever. A's Chakra formed cracks in the floor. "Have you converted all your measly brain power into muscle power, you hot headed fool?" There it was again. That teasing undertone. There was no venom in his words and that made it worse. It made A want to rip off the figure's head and start pummelling his corpse again and again until it was nothing but a disfigured remnant of what it once was. "I wonder how Kumo is still standing with such a dolt for a Kage."

A gritted his teeth. He was a Kage; he had to act in the best interests of his country. Despite what the figure said, he wasn't an idiot and he needed info.

"Who are you?"

"Who me? No one of importance."

A vein in A's neck twitched.

"Man, you guys need to step up your security. When I tried to infiltrate Konoha I didn't even get in. That sucked… and so do you."

That was the final straw. Information be damned, he was much too riled up to care about that. He could just get this child's dead body looked up to see where he hailed from. Any special medicines, dietary information, chakra information or anything like that would give away his village. A's famous lighting armour activated; his body was coated in a surge of blue lightning and his body was enveloped by an aura of the same colour.

"Die!"

A went to punch the intruder, but his fist hit nothing but air. He glanced around his office and found his ANBU knocked unconscious. They had senbon sticking out the back of their necks. He gritted his teeth and rushed to his window where he spotted the cloaked figure retreating, only blue eyes visible in the distance.

'_I have to catch him.'_

With that thought in mind, he stepped out of his massive window and then vanished in a blur. He was known as the second fastest man in the world; there was nobody he couldn't catch except for that damned Minato. With a mighty leap, the window frame exploding from under the pressure of his jump, he landed in the blink of an eye on top of a building, his presence already calling ninja to notice him.

"What's happening?" One man said and that summed up the thoughts of most of the people. The Raikage vanished once more and appeared right behind the intruder.

His fist moved in slow motion. It drew closer and closer to the boy, the electricity prodding the target's neck. The Raikage grinned when he hit flesh, but his eyes widened as the saw who he hit.

A white haired boy with dark skin and and white hair went flying. That certainly wasn't his target..

"Omoi!" A shouted. He clenched his fists as he looked at the boy who was dead and planted in a wall on the opposite side of a one-storied building motionlessly.

"Omoi!" two genin shouted. In between them where Omoi was once standing stood the hooded intruder. A's eyes fixed onto him.

'_That was definitely the replacement jutsu… I've never seen it used so quickly and effectively before. This person… whoever it is, is dangerous...'_

"Get him!" A shouted, calling the attention of his ninja to the cloaked figure as he pointed to him.

Blue eyes twinkled with a depraved amusement from underneath the hood.

'_Oh my… a whole village pursuing poor little me? How… intimidating.'_

He vanished in a silent shunshin, prompting about a dozen people to run off, pursuing him.

* * *

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The hooded figure ran at rapid speeds, his pursuers quickly gaining on him. The terrain was rocky and dry. The rocks were a dusty brown, but the atmosphere was windy. Clouds resided in the sky, masking the natural blue canvas in a blanket of white.

It ran, approaching a crevice that was set into the earth. The dark figure stopped and looked down at it.

It was an abyss; the darkest black was presented to him; the deepest darkness. The ground wasn't visible and the black almost drained the light from the world. The rumbling of footsteps was audible, but the hooded figure didn't turn around. He heard them come to a stop.

"Reveal yourself," He heard the gravely voice of the Raikage say. He turned around slowly with his hands up. He was greeted by the sight of the Raikage who looked like he was barely restraining himself from crushing poor little him. Beside him stood two jounin and not far behind them was a large group of Kumogakure ninja.

How amusing.

The Raikage obviously figured that he had nowhere to go now and was looking for some answers before he brutally tortured and killed him in the most sadistic way possible. It made his visible blue eyes twinkle in faux amusement. People these days were pretty scary!

"Oh my, oh me," the ghostly voice said, sending sub-zero shivers down the conglomeration of ninja's, who were approaching the Raikage's position, necks. "It seems that I've got no way out." His head tilted up and the Raikage saw an infuriating smile. The smile that tortured him from the shadows earlier.

"There's no way out!"

Golden blonde hair was visible, poking out of the hood for a second before being cast in the shadows again.

"It seems so," The cloaked figure said with plastic emotion in his voice. The Raikage was about to say something, but his eyes widened as the figured wordlessly fell back.

'_What!?" _He thought. He surged forward, and reached his hand out to catch the boy, but it was too late. His target fell down the abyss, descending into the deepest pits of darkness. He fell spread eagle, never looking back, just allowing himself to be taken.

"There's no way he could survive that," the Raikage growled. He clenched his fists in anger at not being able to pummel the person who made him kill one of his own ninja, but there was nothing he could do.

His eyes ignited with a strong fire and he turned back, addressing the army of ninja behind him. "He's dead," A announced. The crowd looked dumbfounded, but A clenched his fists. "GO!" he shouted and they hastily turned back, retreating without a second glance out of fear of their leader.

As they all retreated, they never noticed the golden kunai jumping out of the abyss like a fish asking to be caught and then it being replaced by a blond boy with a face splitting grin on his face, his hood now down. As the boy sailed through the air, a golden chain erupted from his wrist and planted into a rock in the opposite direction of Kumo. The chain immediately retracted and Naruto was pulled towards where it was set.

He ran through a few hand seals and his form vanished.

"Wow, that was great training," he said happily. "The Raikage sure is an intense guy!"

* * *

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**One week later**

Naruto sat in the middle of a field of flowers. Blues, reds, greens, the flowery field was filled with gentle colours that soothed the soul. The soft breeze tickled the nose of Naruto and the surrounding trees whistled in the wind, swaying serenely from side to side. The sun illuminated the area with vivid rays, standing tall in the centre of the sky. Naruto was sat atop a lone, jagged rock, his position tainted by the shadows the boy and the object had caused.

Naruto's hand held a paintbrush that skillfully glided across the piece of paper that was resting against his knee.

'_The chakra nature converters need to be slightly bigger.' _He thought. _'that way I can attune it to the lightning element more easily.'_

He hummed absentmindedly. All objectives in Kumo had been completed successfully. He had laid low for the past week, spending most of his time training with the chameleons. He didn't want to risk anybody sensing his chakra; even he knew it had a distinct feel to it.

It was distinct because it was indistinct. It was naturally well masked and felt _empty _for a lack of a better word. When he fully released it, it was extremely cold, but as he masked it it felt like nothing. Chakra, to a certain extent, reflected a person's spirit. This was due to the spiritual aspect of chakra. If somebody had a tainted soul, so to speak, it would feel 'evil' and dark. If somebody was pure - had an untainted spirit, their chakra would feel warm and bubbly. It gave an insight into the person's emotional state.

Naruto's chakra felt empty, like it was a blank canvas. No matter what he did, he couldn't change it permanently - over the years he had just learned to mask it. He did notice that when he was still in Konoha, many people unconsciously shivered around him. That was the natural 'chill' of it, like looking at a corpse's face. It felt unnatural. He could inject fake emotions into his chakra, but it was just an imitation and it took a lot of mental energy on his behalf and it would never be as good as the real thing. It was impractical.

The darkness he emanated when he wasn't masking his intentions wasn't due to chakra at all; it was just his natural aura.

He sensed a presence approaching him, but stayed relaxed. He knew it was Itachi.

"Sensei," Naruto said quietly, not looking up.

"Naruto-kun," A voice said from behind him. "Interesting location."

"Well you know me sensei, I'm a bright ball of sunshine!"

Itachi would have snorted, but he was too dignified to do so.

"So how have you been? Been slaying any families recently?"

Naruto didn't hear a reply, but he felt a brief spike in killing intent. "Oh my, how aggressive. It was only a joke. You know me, Itachi-sensei!"

Naruto turned around, getting a glimpse of Itachi's face. He briefly saw his lips twitch up.

'_No one can quite get under my skin like him.' _Itachi thought. It was refreshing. People in Akatsuki were strictly business. The only person he regularly interacted with was Hoshigaki Kisame and whilst the man had a sense of humour, he couldn't get a reaction out of Itachi like Naruto could. When he was back in Konoha, people were much too afraid of him to tease him like Naruto did.

"So you ditched your partner?" Naruto said. "Are you embarrassed about me? You never let me meet any of your friends! I think you are rather mean sensei!"

"Hn," Itachi grunted, ignoring Naruto's rant. "Have you heard about Suna?"

"That Bijuu attack and then Iwa finishing the job?" Naruto asked, feigning innocence. "Yeah, poor them. Seems like some people get all the bad luck." He smiled, sending a shiver down Itachi's back. "But enough about them, what are you doing Sensei?"

"I'm on my way to capture the Nanabi Jinchuuriki," Itachi said, gauging Naruto's reaction. He hadn't told him about the objective of Akatsuki yet, He had no problem giving Naruto information; in fact, he was planning to but he had no real idea on how Naruto thought. What went through the boy's mind was a mystery. There was one point in time where he thought that they were similar people, but now he didn't know.

Naruto was an enigma.

It seemed like Itachi was created into the perfect shinobi, but Naruto was born a perfect shinobi.

"Oh really?" Naruto said. "Why?"

"That is the goal of Akatsuki."

"Is that so?" Naruto asked. "That seems rather challenging. Be careful; I'd hate for you to lose your life."

Itachi nodded briefly.

A glint appeared in Naruto's eye.

'_I hope you grow strong soon, Onee-sama. Or you'll be in a bit of trouble, eh? Okaa-sama… whatever."_

Itachi's eyes drifted down to the piece of paper that was on Naruto's lap.

"What is that?"

"A seal," Naruto said quickly. "Chakra nature converter seal to be precise."

Itachi nodded. "What for?"

"Just practising," Naruto said, looking up into the sky, his hair fluttering in the breeze. "hey can I ask you for something?"

"Hm?" Itachi's eyes showed a hint of interest.

"How to you bypass the barrier that guards Konoha?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Why would you want that?"

"To see how Onee-sama is progressing," Naruto said with a charming smile. "And maybe to play a prank."

"I see…" Itachi said. "Very well," he agreed. He had nothing to lose, so he wasn't going to withhold that information.

The clouds thickened, a shadow crawled along the ground and the sky began to weep.

* * *

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**One day later**

A man in a business suit walked down the street of a quiet village on the border of Fire Country, his eyes were set forward and an unapproachable aura was oozing off him as everybody avoided him. He had slow, purposeful steps, wore a brown suit and had slicked back brown hair. His eyes were closed and he had a small grin on his face but despite the easygoing exterior, something about him just screamed 'hostile.'

His steps quickened and once he was out of the line of sight of the judgemental public, he turned into a dark alleyway.

"You're here on time," a gruff voice said. The business man face turned cold and calculating.

"Of course," the man said. "I have every reason to be."

"So whaddya want," the shadows unveiled the face of a rugged man. He had ruffled orange hair, a long scar down his face, yellow teeth that looked like daggers and hard, black eyes. He wore a brown, leather coat and nothing underneath, exposing his slightly flabby stomach. On his legs were black trousers with multiple pockets and scruffy, steel toe capped boots.

"The mayor's son," the business man said. "I want him kidnapped."

"Why?"

"Revenge," was the simple answer. The bandit didn't push any further.

"How much are you willing to pay?"

"5 million."

The man whistled.

"I'll get it done."

"For a bonus we can keep this strictly between you and me," the business man said.

"Of course."

And with that, they wordlessly departed. The bandit walked away and the business man leant against the wall in the darkness. There was no need for pleasantries. This was business, nothing more, nothing less.

The business watched the bandit leave.

'_...Now, it's all on you, Konoha. They'll undoubtedly send a tracking team.' _There was a low chuckle and the businessman was enveloped by a cloud of smoke to reveal a straight faced Naruto. _'I'll take this fire and add a little fuel. Then I'll watch it explode.'_

* * *

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Konoha**

"Hokage-sama," three shinobi said in unison. They were three relatively normal looking people. The first wore a bandana with a forehead protector on it. He had white eyes, signifying that he was a Hyuga and wore a typical Konoha jounin outfit.

The second had scruffy brown hair, a chiseled and defined face with two red fang marks on either cheek, showing that he was an Inuzuka and a patch of hair on his chin. He also wore the typical Konoha jounin outfit.

The last had all his body covered with a grey trenchcoat and a hood. An Aburame.

"I have a very important mission for you," Minato said. "There has been a problem in a town in northeast Fire Country - Fukubo town; I'm sure you've heard of it," at all three nods, he continued. "The mayor's son has been kidnapped. The reason is unknown, but the mission is important. Locate and retrieve him. Complete this mission at any cost - it is imperative that the mission is successful. We must have good relations with every country on the border. We don't want them to conspire with our enemies."

"Hai, Hokage-sama. Is there anything you can tell us."

Minato nodded. "There is not much, but you can ask the client for further details. What we do know..."

* * *

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The trio jumped through the trees rapidly in silence. The first man had his Byakugan activated, just in case anything happened.

"How much longer do we have, Ko-san?" The Inuzuka asked.

The Hyuga paused for a second. "About 30 minutes before we reach the town." he answered.

"Good," the Inuzuka breathed.

"Wait!" The Hyuga said, coming to a stop. "I see somebody."

"So?" The Inuzuka said.

"They look familiar," Ko said slowly. "And something is off about their chakra."

"And what's so off about their chakra that we have to stop?"

The Hyuga ignored his companion. "Come," he ordered, rushing forwards.

The Inuzuka and Aburame looked at each other helplessly before rushing off in pursuit of him.

After about a minute of jumping, they reached a clearing where Ko was standing at.

"It's Hokage-sama's son," he said in disbelief.

"What?" The Inuzuka whispered, looking over Ko's shoulder. True to his word, he saw the Hokage's son leaning against a tree, sleeping softly. He looked harmless. His face was more aristocratic than hardened. His eyes were closed in a blissful peace and his breathing was soothing and rhythmic. He had a sword by his side.

"We need to get him back to the village." The Aburame said.

Ko nodded. "I'll seal his chakra points whilst he is asleep. He won't be able to move."

They nodded in agreement.

Ko approached him slowly as not to startle him. He looked at the boy with his byakugan. The boy's chakra was a vivid green that he had never seen before - it was plentiful and rich, just like the rest of his family's. As he got closer to the boy, his eyes widened.

The boy's body kicked into motion abruptly.

Two kunai sailed past his face, missing him completely, but he didn't feel any pain.

He didn't need to turn around to see what had happened, though, as he heard two audible thumps and saw his comrades drop to the ground with his all seeing eyes.

He immediately raised his guard as Naruto shot up, his cold blue eyes revealed. He wore a simple black three quarter length shirt that exposed part of his forearm, black shinobi pants and knee high sandals. On his hands were black gloves that had a white sealing formula on the palms. He grasped the Katana in his hand briefly before it vanished in a puff of smoke.

"What are you doing?" The Hyuga demanded forcefully.

"You startled me," Naruto said coldly. WIthout a warning, his hand lashed out in motion, golden kunai launching at Ko. The man moved his head to the side to dodge soundly, but he felt a pain in his arm as a metal shuriken embedded itself into his arm.

'_When...?' _He thought.

Lightning crackled around Naruto's gloves as he rushed forward at Ko's disabled side. Ko's eyes widened, but he braced himself as Naruto swung his fist at him. Ko gracefully dodged and went to counter, but Naruto hands had blazed through 4 hand seals rapidly and Ko backtracked.

It was a bluff.

Naruto grinned as a shuriken fell from his sleeve and he launched it at the Hyuuga who immediately dodged it, deeming it no threat.

But he was wrong.

Naruto had disappeared from his previous position, but Ko could still see him with his byakugan. He was behind him, floating in the air where the shuriken once was. He didn't have time to react as Naruto put a hand on his shoulder, as he fell and he felt lightning course through his body, blue sparks spewing on the outside of his frame.

'_Kawarimi…? How? That's impossible.'_

He collapsed to the ground, convulsing in pain.

Naruto stood over his body, his eyes closed and his demeanour casual.

'_I don't know how to use lightning properly, but those gloves were useful. I have no use for them anymore, but they helped my plans so I can't complain.' _He had attached the chakra nature converting seal to his gloves so that they could channel lightning chakra through them. They were impractical, but necessary.

"W-w-what d-o you want?" The Hyuga asked. "Y-your father wants you back."

"My father is a fool," Naruto said nonchalantly. "You're the first key."

"What?"

Naruto crouched down and looked at Ko in the eye.

"You're the first key in dispelling this illusion. Don't feel bad. Your death has a purpose."

The Hyuga had no idea what Naruto was talking about but an uneasy feeling overpowered the pain he felt. Naruto's eyes were cold; they lacked warmth and compassion. His eyes reflected an inferno that they didn't contain themselves. It was as if they were watching the world crumble, unfazed and slightly amused. Those eyes were more powerful than any dojutsu in the world.

They were the eyes of a Devil.

"I'll kill you in a minute. But first…"

Naruto grasped a kunai in his hand from his ninja pouch. He brought the pointy object to his victim's eye. In realisation, Ko tried to scream, but no sound came out. He tried to writhe, but his body wouldn't move. Naruto had a gentle expression on his face and hummed a sweet tune as he carved Ko's eye out.

"Struggle and it'll get messier," Naruto said, pulling off the man's bandana and stroking his hair. The caged bird seal was exposed on his forehead - a green cross in between two green lines.

The obscene sound of kunai meeting flesh was the only thing heard throughout the clearing. Ko found his voice.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

* * *

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**One day later**

"Hokage-sama!" Minato heard. He groaned as he looked up. He had stayed awake all night doing paperwork and he was about ready to go home and collapse in his bed.

"What?"

"There's something you must see!"

Minato nodded tiredly, bags drooping underneath his eyes. He followed the ANBU, wondering what was going on. He approached the Hyuga compound, seeing a group of shocked clan members and civilians with a few shinobi here and there.

'_What!?' _He thought in alarm as he saw a crowd of people and heard the commotion.

"It's horrible!"

"Don't look!"

"How…?"

Ignoring all the shocked sounds, Minato pushed his way to the front of the crowd, wanting to see what was going on. As he reached the front his eyes widened.

There he was, Ko Hyuga, pinned upside down, arms spread out, legs together like a cross, but he was upside down. He saw his eyes crudely cut out of his skull; even he felt like being sick and he had seen the horrors of war.

What caught his attention, though, was the message written in blood and what was carved on his forehead.

On his forehead was the kanji for 'retribution'.

A rare rage overtook Minato's body as he looked at the bloodied message.

'_Peace is an illusion. Hope is a lie. Fighting is the only solution. The storm stirs and tranquility will die.'_

**Bleh, I hate politics! I know next to nothing about the subject if I'm being honest. Also, I didn't mean for Naruto killing the Hyuuga to be such a... _fucked _scene. I didn't realise it was like that until I read over it again. Thanks for all your support, guys! I really appreciate it. I'll try to keep this update speed consistent, but I have exams in two months so who knows?**

**Please review! It'd make my day ^_^ **


	9. Just a Little Fuel

**I don't own Naruto.**

"Hokage-sama," Minato was greeted by a woman wearing a white medical gown, a surgeon's mask and a hat to cover her hair. Minato gave a brief nod to her.

"Ayumi-san," Minato said gravely. He looked around the room he was in blankly; he did not want to be there. It was white walled, no other colour inhabited it. The strong scent of disinfectant held his nostrils in a vice. In the centre of the room, there was a hospital table with a body laid on the top of it. Minato crossed his arms.

"What have you found?"

The woman stood straight with her arms behind her back, ready to give the Hokage her report.

"Right," she said, gathering her thoughts, "I'm sure you don't need the whole report, just the things that stand out, am I correct?"

Minato nodded, wanting to get out of the room as quickly as possible.

"Okay," she said, "First things first, we searched for residual chakra in her system that may have been caused by any jutsu the culprit used," she looked at the Hokage with a serious expression on her face. "We found lightning natured residual chakra."

Minato closed his eyes in thought, "I see," he said simply. "Any further information?"

The medic nin nodded. "We studied the residual chakra in her system. As you know, despite it being lightning natured chakra we found in the body, we could still find out what the assailant's affinity is if we study the chakra itself," Ayumi paused, letting that sink in. They could find this out by studying chakra flow. Depending on somebody's chakra nature, their chakra flowed differently. Somebody with lightning natured chakra would have a jagged, abrupt chakra flow and somebody with wind natured chakra would have a 'sharp' and wild chakra flow. This never completely went away and it would be visible even in a different chakra nature to the user's own unless they completely mastered the element not of their original chakra nature.

The only time when that got difficult was when the person had two chakra natures, then it was harder to judge what the original chakra nature was.

"It was a lightning affinity - one so strong that it would be rare to find outside of Kumo."

Minato was silent. "Is that it?"

The woman shook her head. "Not quite." she replied. "Come," she requested, moving closer to the body. Minato followed her and resisted the urge to look away when he was faced with an eyeless Hyuga. The woman pointed to his arm.

"Look here," she said intently, pointing to a wound on his arm. There were two holes where a shuriken had hit.

"This is a wound…" she started.

"That can only be caused by a shuriken from Kumo," Minato finished. "I remember them from the third war," Minato's brow furrowed. "Kumo used a strange two spoked design. Whereas Konoha and Iwa shuriken has four bladed shuriken, Kumo's has eight."

She nodded in approval. "Correct, Hokage-sama."

"How long has he been dead?"

"Three days," Ayumi answered.

"The culprit worked quickly then," Minato deducted. He turned on his heel. "Thank you, Ayumi-san."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"This is outrageous!" A Hyuga elder roared.

Hyuga Hiashi remained stoic and listened to all the exclamations of horror and anger.

"Kumogakure have gone too far this time," A stern man said gravely.

"There's been no confirmation that it _was _Kumogakure," Hiashi reminded the man.

"Who else would it be? They've tried to get the Byakugan in their filthy hands before, but now they have succeeded. Who else could it be?"

"A number of people," Hiashi said. "Our bloodline is a great one. Many wish to gain possession of it; we can't just single out Kumo. We shall bide our time until the report from the autopsy comes in."

"But-!"

"But nothing. We are a part of Konohagakure - the strongest clan in the village. We can not act alone." There was a pause as Hiashi let the words sink in. "A peaceful solution is not possible. The culprit made it clear. Instead of bickering like children, we should be building our strength for the inevitable conflict that will come out of this."

An elder looked like he wanted to say something, but Hiashi silenced him with a glare.

"Are we clear?"

There was silence.

"I said, are we clear?" His voice was stern, but he did not shout.

"Yes, Hiashi-sama."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

In the dark room, a group of people sat around a table, their faces serious and their expressions grim.

"We haven't had a meeting like this since the end of the Third war," Inuzuka Tsume said. She was a feral looking woman. She had ruffled and short spiky brown hair and red fang markings on her cheeks. She wore they typical garb of a Konoha Jounin.

Minato nodded.

"But now's not the time to reminisce. I'm sure the situation doesn't need explaining."

Silence and uneasy nods were all the confirmation that Minato needed.

"There's no reason to be roundabout about this; I'll just say it now. The report of the autopsy has been submitted." Minato looked sharply into the eyes of the occupants of the room. "The chance that the culprit is from Kumo is high."

Shikaku stared into his Hokage's eyes unflinchingly. "95%."

"How do you know that?" Yamanaka Inoichi asked. He had spiky blonde hair and a long blond ponytail. His face was worn by age and his blue eyes clouded by the natural wear and tiredness that life inevitably brought.

"Deposits of lightning natured chakra were found in his body. Additionally, there was a shuriken wound on his arm… that could only be obtained by shuriken from Kumo. Kumo shuriken are double spoked at each point, unlike any other countries shuriken that are in production."

Danzo's face was set, but a glint appeared in his eyes briefly. "So, what are we going to do, Hokage-sama?"

Minato shut his eyes. "To murder one of my shinobi and defile my village, my home… that is an act that is unforgivable. They've made war inevitable. If we back down now, we will corner ourselves. That is not an option. War is not what I want. War is what they've forced. When they crossed my home, my village," Minato's eyes were truly cold and Danzo for a second, was reminded of Minato's son.

This was the Kiroii Senko of Konoha. Not the Hokage. Not the kind and gentle man. The shinobi. The warrior. The murderer.

"They signed their death warrant."

Morale was raised. Despite the impossible odds, with Minato on their side, they could win.

"However, there are things that must be discussed," Minato stated.

"What more needs to be discussed, Hokage-sama?" Hyuga Hiashi enquired. He wasn't an impatient person, but his clan's pride was dishonoured. There was nothing to discuss in his mind.

"I'm sure this thought has crossed all your minds…" Minato trailed off, gaining the curiosity of his soldiers. "Who is skilled enough to infiltrate our village like that? They were in and out and managed to evade the Hyuga clan of all people. An ability like that is fearsome. How long have they been able to enter our village? What do they know?" He paused. "Who are they? How can such a skilled person evade notice?"

Unease was once felt again. Suddenly, all the shinobi felt an urge to scan their surroundings. Hairs stood up on the back of their necks. It felt like a ghost was present.

Minato's face hardened. "That doesn't matter, though. We are more capable than them. We are Konoha - the strongest shinobi village. A title every village yearns for. If they aren't willing to expose him and claim the title themselves, then that shinobi clearly is not a game-changer. No matter how outstanding a ninja, our ninja are clearly _better _and that says a lot about Konoha. We won't back down. We won't give up."

Once again, morale was raised, but the unease did not disappear.

A charismatic smile danced across Minato's lips, but inwardly, his thoughts were darker. _'That's not true at all, but spirits needed to be lifted. Whoever this ninja is is somebody to be feared.' _His smile lessened. _'Why? First I lose Naruto and now there's a war. Am I a bad Hokage?'_

"Clan heads, encourage your members to up their training," there were unanimous nods.

"Hokage-sama," It was Danzo again. "If we are to gain strength, then surely we will start allowing extraordinary students to graduate early once more."

Minato nodded. He made it so that students could not graduate early after the incident with Itachi. All that pressure at a young age was likely to break a child - it was too cruel. He couldn't do it again, not in times of peace. He had seen the effects with his own student Kakashi as well as Itachi. However, it was war. He could no longer afford to be soft. If he did not sacrifice these youth's innocence, then they could end up losing much more than their childhood and that was something that he could not allow.

"Yes, I agree."

"Uchiha Sasuke and your daughter, Uzumaki Natsuko are particularly impressive," Danzo said in a voice that sounded like he was victorious in some sort of invisible battle. Minato gave him a warning glance, but didn't outwardly say anything. Danzo was quiet now, satisfied.

"As are the rest of the clan heirs with a few exceptions," Minato paused, "But now is not the time for this discussion. This discussion first and foremost is on the upcoming war."

Danzo spoke up. "We must make the first move."

Minato gave him a sharp glance, but otherwise nodded. "We shall." Minato laced his fingers together and rested his chin on his hands. "In one week's time, there is a civilian trade caravan passing through Fire Country to take essential goods to Kumo," Minato stated. "There should be an excess of 100 civilians travelling with it."

They were certainly not expecting that to come from the mouth of their benevolent Hokage, but they knew, despite his idealism, that he was willing to bury his morality and get the job done when it needed to be done.

He was infamous for a reason.

"We will ambush them and take the goods for ourselves."

Minato closed his eyes. If he had things his way, he wouldn't even go to war. But… at this point it was an inevitability. The attack was in the public eye. Tension had been rising between Konoha and Kumo ever since the Hyuga incident and the breaking point had just been reached. If he didn't go to war, then the possibility of civil war was higher than ever because people would be so discontent. If not a civil war, then an uprising.

That in itself would cause the fourth shinobi war - a war they would have no chance of winning in that situation.

Honestly, Minato had his own doubts about the incident. The execution was too refined, not Kumo's style. It didn't feel like something Kumo would or could do. All the evidence pointed towards them, but who is to say it wasn't a third party. If the culprit could infiltrate Konoha, then they probably could infiltrate Kumo and obtain the materials to frame them… but _who _would do it? Who had a reason to do it? Plus, it sounded much too implausible. All of the evidence pointed to Kumo - but there were other doubts. If they had the time to pin up a dead body, then why did they not plant explosives instead to weaken the village. Nothing made sense to him.

Maybe it was that Akatsuki group Jiraiya-sensei had informed him of. Maybe it was Orochimaru of the sannin.

But his gut told him that it wasn't.

Minato refrained from rubbing his temples in stress. His eyes flickered over to the ceiling of the room where he thought he saw something, but there was nothing there.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Hinata-chan!" Natsuko called out worriedly. She had grown considerably. Now just 11, her red hair was tied into a long ponytail that reached the middle of her back. Under a black, opened jacket, she had a burnt orange top. She wore black three quarter length shorts on her legs and black shinobi sandals. She had no reason to dress up like the other girls in her class. She was going to be the best kunoichi ever to come from Konoha, she didn't need fashion! She just needed to be able to kick ass!

Natsuko approached the girl, who was sitting on the swing outside the academy. The shadows formed a barrier around her that nobody, except for Natsuko, dared enter. There was an unmistakable aura of doom and gloom that congested the vicinity; Natsuko could feel the depression.

As Natsuko approached, the birds in the trees slowly started chirping once more, the shadows lifted ever so slightly and a slight warmth found its way into the abode of cold.

"N-Natsuko-chan," Hinata replied shakily, sinking into her baggy hoodie to protect herself from the crippling fear of communicating with other people, coupled with the traumatisation of the recent event.

"Are you okay, dattebane!?"

Hinata nodded shakily. "I-i'm f-fine now," she said, holding her head down to cover the redness of her eyes.

Natsuko smiled cheerfully, "That's great-!" she chirped. Her expression turned more concerned. "But, there's no need to hide from me, Hina-chan! We're friends right? And friends talk to each other, so if you ever wanna talk, then just call me! After all, how can I become the Hokage if I don't care about my friends -ttebane!"

Hinata sniffled, but a gentle smile crossed her face. "T-thank you, Natsuko-chan," she said sincerely. Natsuko was a great friend. Hinata wondered what she did to deserve such a good friend, but she was grateful. It was nice for somebody to show that they cared…

Natsuko offered nothing but an encouraging grin that was infectious.

"So~," Natsuko looked Hinata in the eyes, warm blue meeting pale purple. "Wanna talk?" Natsuko took a seat right next to Hinata.

Hinata nodded, looking downcast once more. "I-I'm s-scared," she admitted. Natsuko did not need Hinata to elaborate. "I-It's j-just…" she fumbled words. "K-Ko-san a-always took care of me," she twiddled her fingers together and turned away, tears brewing in her eyes. "I-I know t-that he was ordered to by my Otou-sama, b-but he always protected me. I-I don't feel safe anymore. What if t-they…" she was almost hyperventilating and her tears were flowing freely down her face. "g-get me n-next. They tried before…"

Natsuko's eyes burned with determination and empathy; her aura embracing Hinata in a warmth and caring that she only received from her mother. "I'll protect you, Hina-chan!" Natsuko said completely seriously. "You don't have to worry about people taking you. Not whilst I'm around! You're my friend and I won't lose you," her face became more sullen and her sunny disposition faded slightly, "I can't lose you," she said more quietly, remembering her brother's smiling face. She wished he was there to play with her, to make her laugh… he could be creepy, but she loved her brother more than anything. He was _her _twin and they shared a connection that nobody else could understand. "It's a promise of a lifetime!"

Hinata looked up, her head was held slightly higher and firmer. She was still grieving, but once more, she felt protected.

"Y-you're a great friend, Natsuko-chan!"

Natsuko grinned widely, "Of course I am!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Horse drawn wagons dragged along hordes of civilians. The path was inhabited by vehicles and friendly banter between friends and families.

"It is a fine day, today," an elderly woman said fondly, taking a deep breath of air.

"It is, isn't it?" A younger woman replied with a smile. "I don't think anything could ruin this now."

The thickened clouds stalked over to them and smothered them, causing the old lady to frown discontentedly.

"You had to say that, didn't you? You jinxed us."

The woman chuckled. "I'm sure it was just a coincidence."

Suddenly, the felt the carriage the were lounging on come to a stop. They looked forward and saw a line of armoured ninja wearing masks staring at them blankly. Their eyes widened.

"Ninja?" The younger woman gasped.

The older woman's eyes widened in horror as she realised what was happening. She saw the armoured ninja at the front of them reach for his sword on his back.

As he drew it, she already knew what was going to happen. Her limbs were numb and her jaw was slack in post mortem paralysis. She was already dead.

That was a fact.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Kumogakure**

A, the Raikage, sat at his desk, his veins bulging and his muscles heaving.

"What do you mean?" He asked gruffly.

His dark skinned and white haired secretary, Mabui, shook silently. Unevenly, she repeated her words to the burly man. "Konoha attacked one of our civilian caravans… they didn't spare any of them. All 118 civilians are dead."

There was a tense silence and Mabui could hear the sound of her heart pounding in her chest.

The veins in A's head pulsed, sending scorching blood rushing through his head like a cascading waterfall. Lightning poured off his body and in a blur of motion, his hand rushed down, smashing against his desk and breaking it into half. Debris spewed like a spitting volcano and for a second, Mabui could have sworn she saw a gorilla take the place of A. Primitive, prideful and powerful.

"This is unacceptable! An insult! First that suicidal, useless brat comes in here, mocking our strength and comparing us to those tree hugging fools and now they pull this!? Will of Fire? I'll extinguish it. They. Will. Pay."

"Raikage-sama, please think rationally…"

A crater formed under the weight of A's power. "I am thinking rationally!"

Mabui flinched. "Y-yes," she stuttered. "But please… you're damaging the office."

"I'll get it repaired!" He yelled. "To think the leaf are so arrogant that they would instigate an attack in their situation. How foolish, but it would make them all the more easy to crush."

Mabui didn't want to say anything out of fear of her leader. She did not want to exacerbate his anger so she settled for nodding her head quietly and slowly inching her way out of the room.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto stood on a tree upside down. The light in the area was green, not a hint of sky to be seen. The air was moist and there was a thick undergrowth on the ground. The trees towered like lumbering giants, but the area was silent.

Naruto was in the Chameleon territory in the summoning realm.

Naruto's hair dangled as he looked at the massive amount of space between his place on the tree and the ground. He would probably die if he let himself fall to the ground. That would be a shame. His tongue poked out of his lips, getting longer and longer as he let it dangle. It dangled until it was about four feet out of his mouth. His tongue looked like it was more stretched than elongated.

It swung like a pendulum.

'_The cycle is set in full motion now. Things are bound to explode. Even if people have their own suspicions, the end result will be the same.' _His face was in its natural state: blank. _'I wonder how you'll handle it, onee-sama? How will you handle the cold embrace of reality latching on to you, leeching all of your precious innocence and naivety? I'm curious to see… don't let me down.'_

Naruto's eyes shone. _'And this Akatsuki group… they are ruining my fun. We can't have any groups vying for domination, ruining my show. Oh no, we simply can't have that.'_

Naruto looked at his hands. They hadn't been burned yet, but he knew that he was playing with fire… and he couldn't be having any more fun.

'_But I'm not strong enough to just destroy them…' _Naruto closed his eyes in thought. _'I'll just handle it like I handle everything else… just let it happen, for a while at least. I need to get stronger…' _Naruto had no particular drive to get stronger. Strength was merely a tool to get what he wanted. He had no delusions about his real strength; he actually wasn't extremely strong. He was extremely strong for his age, but he wasn't among the strongest in the world.

He was just exceptional at stealth, evasion, and mind games, using his enemies shock, the first attack and his age to his advantage. He gave his opponent no time to think or gather their bearings. He hadn't been forced into a situation where he had fought with his normal style in at least 6 months. In his fight against the Hyuuga, he had to implant some evidence that the murder was Kumo's doing and that required him to fight not like he normally would. Not that he cared, but it was effort.

Naruto's eyes opened and a strange glint appeared in his them. He let himself fall, being taken by gravity. His body made a low whistling sound and Naruto was hypnotised by the feeling of falling. He heard his heartbeat and everything was silent as he descended.

Suddenly, his hand shot out and a golden chain shot out of it. He felt it impact with something and then his body was suspended in mid air, righting itself to an upwards position. He opened his eyes, his breath slightly short and then noticed his position.

He was hanging just above the ground. He idly realised that his arm was dislocated, but he could take pain and well, he found that he couldn't completely retract the chain because it was stuck.

A strange glint appeared in his eye.

"Reckless as ever, boy," Naruto heard a voice say. His grin appeared on his face. Naruto didn't need vision to know that it rolled its eyes when the smile appeared on Naruto's face.

"You know me, Yuurei-san," Naruto said cheerfully.

"Why do you even do all this reckless stuff? You could die. Aren't you scared?"

Naruto's face evened out as he considered answering seriously.

"Fear…? No, fear is nothing but a tool for me to use. Being scared is letting fear control you. Would you let a hammer use you?"

"No, of course not," Yuurei answered evenly. "But what of your life?"

"What of it?" Naruto asked. "Things are born to die. One life is nothing but a pebble in the greater scheme of things. Nobody notices if a pebble goes missing. Nobody cares. It's a normal occurrence. The same could be said for life. One life is so insignificant. So tiny. The loss of life is an inevitability. So… what's the point in living if we are just going to die anyway?" Naruto wasn't suicidal or anything; he just did not fear death. He did not see the point in living, either.

The chameleon blinked. "You are strange."

"You are a chameleon."

'_What?' _Yuurei thought in confusion. That wasn't even related to what they were speaking about. What the hell was this kid on? Yuurei looked at his face and saw a lopsided grin.

"You think you're funny?"

"Oh my," Naruto said scandalously. "So vicious."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The cawing of crows clawed relentlessly at Minato's ear. He sat in his office, looking out of the large window solemnly. Thick shadows were cast throughout the whole village, the sun not in sight. Minato's shoulders were tense as he watched people cautiously traverse the streets, not a hint of their usual carefree nature. It was the beginning of the war - the end of calm.

Minato sat in silence, waiting.

"I hope you'll forgive me," he murmured. Running a hand through his spiky locks that had drooped slightly, losing the vigour with age, he sighed.

His fist clenched as he waited, a lone tear falling out of his eye.

"Kushina," he finally said as he heard the door open and felt her presence.

"Minato-kun," she said, abandoning her housewife clothes and opting for the Konoha jounin outfit with her hair tied up. "What's wrong?"

"Kushina, I-I'm sorry," he apologised, making her face scrunch up in confusion.

"What's wrong?"

"With this war and the village in a state like this, we can't waste any resources… I'm sorry," he looked down ashamedly.

"What do you mean…?" her eyes widened when she realised where Minato was going with this.

"We're going to have to stop the search for Naruto."

And just like that, Kushina's world came crumbling down.

"W-what?" she asked timidly, her bottom lip trembling.

Minato didn't reply.

"What!?" she asked in a stronger voice. "How… could you say that!?" She cried, tears now flowing freely down her face. She rushed over to Minato and he didn't move as she punched him in the face, sending him sprawling off his chair.

"How could you say such a thing!? That our only son is a waste of resources! That we should just give up!?" Hot fury bubbled through her veins and her eyes turned red and slitted. "What sort of cold hearted bastard are you!? Give up on our son!? I'll give up my life before I give up on my son!"

"K-kushina-chan…"

"Don't 'Kushina-chan' me! How could you leave our little baby all out there on his on when there is a war going on!? Do you know what they could do to him, would do to him if they found him!"

"I'm Hokage," Minato replied, trying to placate his fuming wife. He was upset too, but he had to put the village first. "I have to make difficult decisions."

"Difficult decisions?" She said quietly, red chakra wisping off her body. **"Abandoning a child should be an impossible decision." **A gruff quality entered her voice. **"You always put the position of Hokage above your family… what sort of man are you!?"**

Minato's heart silently broke under Kushina's barrage. He wished he didn't take the job of Hokage. He was always forced to make impossible decisions… his family or his village. What was he supposed to do? No matter what he did, he chose wrong.

"P-please," he muttered, "P-please, just…" he did not know what he was asking. "I-I."

"**I don't want to see your face," **Kushina said, rushing out of the office in tears.

Minato sat against the wall limply, all light gone from his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said pitifully. "I'm sorry!" he yelled, not resisting the urge to hit something,

Minato looked at the Hokage hat on his table bitterly.

'_What sort of man am I?' _He thought. _'What sort of Hokage am I? Probably the worst Hokage of all time.'_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The Raikage sat in the office of Oonoki, the Tsuchikage with a fierce look on his face.

"And tell me, why should I consider your offer?"

"If our nations worked together, we could wipe Konoha off the map once and for all."

Oonoki hid his pleased grin behind his hands. "That does sound rather enticing." He looked over the unrolled scroll on his desk approvingly. "And these terms are more beneficial than the peace treaty we currently have with Konoha."

"What do you say?"

"Give me some time to think about it, Raikage-dono," Oonoki replied, but they both knew that he was going to agree. He just did not want to look submissive.

He was a prideful old goat.

They were going to turn their dagger on the leaf. They were united in their burning flame of hatred. Brought together by their common enemy.

However, in their eyes, there was a cautious glint. They kept one hand behind each other's back, both aware of the knife that the other was holding, walking on a thin line between comradeship and hostility.

This was the shinobi world, after all. You couldn't trust anybody except for yourself.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

In a dank, candle lit base, a snake hissed. The walls were garbed by hypnotising shapes and patterns, illuminated slightly by lanterns, but shadowy wisps of darkness resided on the floor. There were bland, mechanical beds at the side of the room, occupied by victims of a chaotic eternal slumber, faces frozen in horror. Syringes, test tubes, surgical scissors: these things inhabited the bedside tables, ensuring that the sleeping could never rest.

Sitting like an idol on a stony, solid throne was a pale skinned man with snaking long, silky black hair, scheming yellow eyes accented by eccentric purple markings. His body was consumed by the shadows and a dark look was set on his features that were burning with a warped intelligence. This was Orochimaru of the sannin: an S class missing ninja.

"This is delightful," he hissed in his voice that could send shivers down the most wizened of men. "Truly delightful." He licked his lips with in a deranged expression of happiness. "That fool Minato has jumped into a war that he can't handle. That will make my plans to obtain the sharingan and destroy the leaf even easier."

He grinned sickly.

"I must make contact with the Raikage…"

His thoughts drifted. _'I shall obtain more funds, soon.'_

He knew how he was going to do it. He wasn't stupid. He had been watching the world intently and one thing caught his attention.

Gatou shipping company.

Usually a shady business man would not bother him, but something strange was going on. A greedy man like that would hop on the opportunity to get more money, but his dealings had drastically slowed down and the dealings that he did make were a lot, dare he say, smarter than before. He had gone under the radar and the once well known name was fading into obscurity.

It could only be the work of a ninja. A skilled one at that.

If he made a move, then he could secure Gatou's wealth and a potential new recruit. After all, the job was very well done and such skill would be welcomed by Orochimaru. Whoever did the job did it so discreetly, that he almost did not notice. Of course, he would have to be cautious, but if they dare defied them, he could crush them with ease. That, he was sure of.

Yes, everything was working perfectly for him.

It was a good day to be a snake.

Orochimaru stood up. Play time was over. He approached the bed of a 'patient' and he picked up the syringe next to the bed.

"How are you doing today, my precious little subject?" Orochimaru cooed. The victim's eyes were dull; he was alive, but dead at the same time. His will to live had faded. Orochimaru sunk the syringe in the neck of the man and purposefully emptied the content of it into his veins.

"Now to see the effects," Orochimaru smiled a sinister smile that was etched into countless nightmares. "Research truly is a beautiful thing."

**I really hate politics...**

**On a side note, I am not bashing Minato. He's stuck between a rock and a hard place. Everything is so fucked up and it's really out of his control. I always pictured him as a person who would have a hard time choosing between his family and his village. Probably due to his deccision with the nine tails in canon. This chapter wasn't as dark as the others, but it was necessary.**

**And I have to say it again: fuck politics! I see why so many authors make their characters stupid. They don't have to deal with that shit.**

**Please review ^_^ it would make my day!**


	10. A Wave Good-bye

**I don't own Naruto.**

Naruto stood topless in the middle of the field. His leg was raised in a kicking position and his eyes were bland and unfeeling. Wisps of mist hid his form, but he had an illusion over himself just in case. He lowered his leg until it touched the ground. Bending his knees, a golden kunai appeared in his hand and he held it behind him, tilting his body slightly.

Lashing out in motion, the kunai was launched out of his hand at an alarming pace.

'_Kunai Kage Bunshin no jutsu.' _He thought, not using any hand seals or spoken words. He watched apathetically as one kunai turned into four and disappeared into the mist.

He heard four grunts in the distance and his lips twitched in amusement.

'_Oh my, oh me, it seems that I accidentally killed some of my subordinates.'_

The novelty of the toy that was Wave Country had worn off. It bored him. It was a good base, to stay at, but running a company was so troublesome and he had all the money he could ever need.

His arms slackened as he heard the commotion and felt the fear. The men were scared that ninja had come; they couldn't fight against them. Fear was good. It helped him consolidate power. If he reassured the men that he could protect them with money, if nothing else, then they would be more inclined to follow him.

Sitting down, his eyes turned calculating. The war was in its beginning stages. Not much had happened yet except for minor skirmishes. For those involved, this was the most tense part in the war. Nobody had shown their cards so far. Everything was quiet, but the noise was coming. They didn't know when, but they knew it would hit hard.

For Naruto, though, this was the least interesting part. Mere footsies underneath the table.

But not all fires were lit so easily. You had to care for it, keep it alight and burning. You couldn't rush things, you had to take it slow and steady. He couldn't rush it or it would burn out… and that wasn't pleasing.

The embers of hatred between the two nations would ignite and burn more and more. That was just the way war worked. War was never presented as a fight… War was presented as self-defence from evil tyrants, from maniacs, from violent, barbaric scum. It was presented as this on both sides. Everybody was self-righteous; nobody wanted to do the wrong thing, so they covered their evil with lies and politics, which were really one in the same, encouraging hatred for the enemy.

Hatred was like a fire. It sustained life and the world couldn't live without it, but it could spread easily and when it spread, it was unfathomably damaging and it left nothing behind. It could destroy the environment, lives, or even what it sustained - the shinobi world - no, the world in general.

He wondered if how his sister, his other half, would cope with this realisation.

'_Onee-sama,' _He thought distantly. _'You've been so hopelessly naive. I really wish for you to see the truth. Even if it breaks you… even if it kills you… you must see it… Onee-sama. I want you to know the truth. I want you to get at least one glimpse of what I see everyday. The beauty that is reality.'_

A strange grin was on his face. His pupils had shrunk and his lips were tilted up minisculely. He looked truly deranged.

He stared up into the sky. He had no time to get lost in his thoughts. He needed to make preparations.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Konoha**

Minato opened his eyes blearily, bags weighing them down. He rolled over limply, feeling the draft from the empty bed. He pushed down the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes. He was the Hokage, he had to be strong.

But how could he be when his source of strength was vanishing?

Standing up, forced his body to move. He couldn't wallow in his self pity. There was no time.

Looking downwards at his crinkled blue bodysuit that he hadn't bothered taking off before he collapsed into bed, he sighed. He couldn't be bothered to change and he really did not have time for a shower. Giving his armpits a tentative sniff, he decided that he was okay and he picked up the Jounin flak jacket that was strewn on the floor and walked into the closet, picking out one of his flamboyant Hokage haori to wear.

Putting it on with no sign of the usual flourish or pride, he vanished in a yellow flash and appeared in his office, only to be greeted by a small stack of paperwork.

With a grunt, he sat on his chair, filling out the papers. seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into hours. He tried to drown himself in his work in an attempt to ignore the pain that he was feeling. Kushina was angry. Natsuko was ignorant, but stuck in the middle. He was laden with guilt.

It seemed that an emotional breakdown was immanent.

Sighing, he needed to put his war-plans in motion. He had an appointment coming up and needed to toughen up and not look weak in front of his men. What would they think of a weak leader?

Soon, he was staring at a group of 12 ANBU, his fingers laced and his chin resting on them. If they noticed his fatigue, they did not mention it.

"Hokage-sama," The ANBU at the front said.

"As you all know, this war is an uphill battle," Minato stated bluntly. "Kumo are going to, or already have allied with Iwa. Suna has fallen. We are at a disadvantage."

Giving them an intense gaze, he continued.

"We can't move westwards and there is no other counties to the east. The only way we can move if we are overwhelmed is south. Wave Country. But there are rumours. Rumours that Wave Country has been taken over by a very shady business man. My sources say that he is ruling the country with an iron fist. The citizens are living in fear. That being said, all the citizens are civilians, he surely can not stand up to ninja. I want you to assassinate him. Hopefully, the inhabitants of Wave will be grateful to us and we will not be treated with animosity from the locals if we must retreat as a last resort."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," They replied monotonously. They would get the details at ANBU HQ.

"Dismissed," Minato said, watching them all disperse.

He was oblivious to the silent puff of smoke in the top corner of his office as he collapsed into his arms as they folded underneath the weight on his shoulders.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Wave**

Naruto looked at the lizard on the desk with open, blue eyes.

A flash of amusement passed through them.

"So, Otou-sama is finally making a move is he?" Naruto said out loud. He was sitting on the chair of the office, his head rested on one fist, looking rather bored. There was a steaming bowl on top of the surface and Naruto spared a look at them. They were flavourless and odorless noodles. Any pungent foods like onions would make his sweat have a more distinct and noticeable smell. That would make him easier to track, so he lived off of flavourless food, only providing the nutrients that he needed to stay as healthy as he could.

"What are you thinking, Naruto-sama?" The chameleon asked, blinking once.

"I'm not quite sure, Suterusu-kun," Naruto replied, a helpless smile appearing on his face. "Even I don't know what goes on in this brain."

Suterusu's tongue shot out, eating a fly that was hovering in front of Naruto's face.

'_Just as I thought. This is the only direction he can move if he has to. If he doesn't act soon, then Iwa, using Suna, can gain this land and then completely surround Konoha.'_

He righted himself and picked up some chopsticks from the table. Spinning them around his fingers once, he then took a mouthful of the flavourless noodles.

'_This company is a liability.'_

With that thought in mind, he felt hungry. Not for food, but he was overtaken by an overwhelming urge to consume all that was in his path. It didn't matter how he reached his path to him. All that mattered was that he destroyed everything in the way, just so he could see the results.

"Naruto-sama," Suterusu called for his attention. "I must warn you, you are playing with fire."

Naruto didn't look up at the creature. "Of course I am. Isn't it fun? People play with fire all the time, though. Anything they do causes _something _and that something may cause them to get burned. What makes this any different?" Naruto hummed. "Unless you have something against it?"

Suterusu quickly shook his head. "Of course not, I'll follow you whatever you do. You are our summoner and you have not overstepped your boundaries once. You have treated us as comrades and not as slaves, so I, personally, have no reason to abandon you"

Naruto hummed nonchalantly, not caring of the praise. "That's good."

"What are you planning?" Suterusu asked. He wouldn't get an answer as to what Naruto was thinking, but Naruto certainly did plan. It seemed like everything he did had a purpose nowadays compared to when he would just do things for the hell of it.

"Just a little clean up… I can't be seen. Not by Konoha, anyway. Not yet."

A sick thought appeared in his mind and he seemed to smile around his mouthful of food. Whether it was a smile of happiness, malice, or just an involuntary twitch of his lips, Suterusu didn't know.

All he knew was that he never wanted to see it again.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Men!" Gatou shouted. He was standing on top of a balcony in a large room with a cage in the middle. There were faint lights from the ceiling, illuminating the blood stained ground and a circle of seats for people to look on in. It was like a coliseum. The seats were shrouded in darkness, making them almost invisible.

Hundreds of men were standing around the cage, looking at their leader with thinly veiled interest. They also wanted to know why they were in the fight club, where they forced men from the country to fight each other until the death purely for entertainment and to make bets.

"As you all know, I do not have an heir. I do not wish for some snivelling little brat to be glued to my side. Children are not a worthy investment."

There were a few disgusted looks directed at him from some of the men that had been coerced into joining Gatou's group at the threat of their own families' well being.

"And although I do not intend to die anytime soon, I do require an heir to my business."

This gained the interest of many people.

"Any heir of mine would need to be strong, just like me."

Muffled snorts sounded throughout the room from the more bloodthirsty thugs.

"So, I have thought of a brilliant plan, men," Gatou said, his face coated by the shadows. "A mass deathmatch. The last person alive inherits the company. If they are not alive by the time it takes for me to pass on, then their son will inherit it."

A feeling of excitement bubbled through more than a few men. They were strung along by their greed, and desire, not thinking of the consequences, but rather the advantages. A few men looked hesitant. They could see how illogical this was and wondered if Gatou had gone insane.

"If you refuse, you will be killed in the most painful way possible. Refusing me will be insulting my brilliance."

They were certain now, Gatou was insane. That was what power did to people.

Immediately, a few men committed suicide, stabbing themselves with their swords as a mercy killing. It was the most painless solution. A series of rhythmic thumps sounded through the room as they fell. Nobody dared to say anything.

Gatou grinned in satisfaction.

"Is anybody else going to insult me?"

There was silence.

"Good," He said, as the giant metal cage opened. "Go in."

Some of the more bloodthirsty men rushed in, but he could still see some men hesitantly walking in slowly.

"Hesitate and you'll die. Think of the power you will obtain. Nobody is leaving until the game is over."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

There was a sea of blood, men and limbs drowning like gutted fish. Bloodied and broken swords; discarded, stained knives; blunt clubs with the remnants of human brain on then; open mouths frozen in horror; bulging eyeballs admiring the scenery of death; mutilated bodies, mauled by the beast of humanity; and an irony scent was permanently set into the room.

Gatou hummed a jaunty tune as he looked at the battleground. A lone man, wearing blood as a second skin stood in the middle of it all, gasping for breath and nursing his wounds.

Naruto's henge dropped.

There was clapping.

"How beautiful," a childish voice called out, making the victor look up to see a young, blond child making his way down to the cage. The door slowly opened and the boy made his way in.

"Who are ya'?" The man asked breathlessly. Naruto looked up, a gentle smile playing across his features.

"Oh my, you really worked hard, Waraji," Naruto hummed, ignoring his question. Naruto's head tilted to the side. "It really payed off, didn't it? Don't you find this scenery so peaceful, so tranquil?"

"I said, Who. The. Fuck. Are. You?" The man said murderously. "I killed loadsa people today and I can kill a brat like you any day. I'll drown you in yer blood!"

"Don't you find death peaceful? The truth is, everybody is ugly inside. True beauty lies in death, you see. We're untainted by our poisonous human nature when we're corpses; everybody is the same in death. You, Gatou and everybody else are equally worthless."

His eyes roamed around the floor. "Wouldn't you agree with me?"

"What are you talkin' about? Are you insultin' me?"

"You and Gatou standing on equal ground… it's a nice thought isn't it?" Naruto ran a hand through his hair. "Yes, you should know… the only equality lies in death."

Naruto approached him slowly, making the man hesitate a second. He couldn't fight because he was tired and something told him to be cautious around this boy.

"You said you'd drown me in my blood. So what's stopping you? Drowning in blood… it's quite an ironic thing isn't it? Life being taken away by one of the things that sustains it."

With that, Naruto vanished, and the man found his head grabbed and dunked into a shallow puddle of blood.

He struggled, but he didn't have the strength after the deathmatch.

Naruto held Waraji's head in the blood and smiled softly.

"Embrace your inner beauty. Don't fight it," he cooed. Waraji struggled. "I can feel your hatred… it's feeding me." Naruto could feel him writhing as he gasped, trying to take in air without drowning.

Naruto whispered sweet nothings into his ear as his life faded away. There were sickening gargles, muffled screams and finally, slackness. Naruto stood up and looked at the dead body.

His fox faced grin slowly appeared on his face.

"Ahh, now to prepare things," he said, unsealing his blade from his wrist and drawing it.

With a careless, testing slash at the floor, the formula for an explosive seal glowed on the ground.

"Wow," Naruto sighed exaggeratedly. "These guys made a little bit of a mess."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Orochimaru sat on his throne, one leg crossed over the other. He wore a grey top over a longer black one, a purple rope holding up his black pants that were bandaged at the ankle. On his feet were standard shinobi sandals. His yellow eyes were piercing.

"Kabuto-kun," he purred. "I'm leaving you in charge whilst I'm gone."

"But Orochimaru-sama," demurred a young, silver haired man wearing rounded spectacles. "Don't you need some back up? I mean, just in case. You could be confronting the Akatsuki for all you know."

"Your concerns are truly flattering, Kabuto-kun," Orochimaru leaned on his fist. "But I'm quite sure it is not the work of ex-comrades. Don't worry, though; I'm bringing some back up."

Kabuto looked interested. "Oh? Who is it, if I may ask?"

Orochimaru licked his lips. "They're not for protection, rather a test." He grinned "I'm going to test this mysterious person to evaluate their skill and their worth. I will bring with me 6 genin, 10 chuunin and the sound four."

"Isn't that a bit too much?"

"Why not at all, Kabuto-kun. If we demonstrate how much power we have in our hands, then this person will be much more inclined to join us, you see. Excluding the sound four, the people I'm bringing are disposable. I am most curious as to how this genius handles a fight."

"Of course, Orochimaru-sama."

Orochimaru chuckled.

'_This person could be a great asset… Konoha, your days are numbered.'_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"It's hard to believe such a place exists in this country." Said a masked man, wearing ANBU attire. He walked along the hallway of the mansion. Chandeliers were dangling from the ceiling, giving the place a dim glow. Extravagant paintings were hung off of the walls carelessly, and there were a few portraits of Gatou made to look like some sort of deity. Plants were rested on small, antique tables and the floor veneer of dust coating the marble surface.

Beside him walked three other masked shinobi who were looking around.

"That's how things work. He's drained the country's economy and he's using it for himself," a feminine voice replied simply. Purple hair was her only defining trait.

"He's a real piece of work, eh?"

The woman was about to reply, but one man in the back of the group stopped, gaining all their attention.

"I smell blood," he announced. "It's faint, but it's not far."

They all spared each other a glance.

"Let's go. We'll alert the others once we get there."

They nodded.

Breaking into sprint, they all rushed down the tunnel like hall. After about a minute of running, they came across a grand door. It was at least triple the height of a regular door and it was a deep brown colour and was framed by two columns. There were elaborate patterns etched into it.

Wordlessly, the squad approached it.

"The smell of blood is strong… it's definitely coming from in here."

With a nod, they pushed open the door, and immediately, the man who could smell the blood initially turned his head away and almost vomited. The others followed a moment later as the smell of death and blood hit them.

When they saw the scene, even they, seasoned shinobi and kunoichi, had to swallow the vomit that had almost escaped them. It was a wasteland. A cage in the centre of a stands for an audience. There were hundreds of men dead on the floor, a massacre and the cage's grounds were painted red. It was a brutal image, one they surely would never forget.

In the centre of it all was a lone human skull, splattered with blood, yet it shouldn't have been there. Nothing else had reverted to skull and bones, yet it was there. This sparked confusion in the ANBU that were there.

"Flare your chakra," the woman said to her comrades. They did so.

Not 2 minutes later, the rest of their comrades had arrived, 12 of them grouping in the room.

"What's this?" A deep voice said. The man had long, black hair, but the rest of him was covered by his uniform.

"You don't need to be a genius to figure it out," the purple haired woman deadpanned.

"No, you idiot, I mean what have you found."

"Well, we just got in here," she spat behind her mask.

"No need to be so angry."

She sighed, "Look, let's just investigate now."

They were oblivious to a shadowy figure watching them form a small window at the top of the massive room.

"Oh my, things are getting rather crowded," There was a pause. "Bye bye, Gatou," the voice whispered. "It was fun whilst it lasted, but you must die now. For real."

Cold blue eyes pierced the darkness and without a word they left.

"What's this," an ANBU asked, looking at a book on the table. He opened it and read the first page. It was a poem...

_**I sit in the garden**_

_**Basked in white**_

_**With a harp in hand**_

_**Bathed in nature's delight**_

_**The hums of the angels**_

_**Wear on my soul**_

_**The innocence of humanity**_

_**On me, it has taken a toll**_

_**I hear a voice**_

_**Whispering in my head**_

_**Eat that fruit**_

_**Indulge yourself, it said**_

_**The clouds darken**_

_**I am cloaked in taint**_

_**The song of heaven**_

_**Becomes faint**_

_**A snake hisses**_

_**Sin clouds my mind**_

_**The monster within me is stirring**_

_**I'm being possessed by mankind**_

_**The garden is burning**_

_**Hope is on its knees**_

_**The monster in me is about to explode**_

_**Help me, please**_

The ANBU read it over, the handwriting was messy, indicating that it had been written quickly. He felt unease in the pit of his stomach and he looked over the scenery in the room. It felt oddly connected and he did not know what to think. Whoever wrote this must have been a deeply disturbed person. Why would they leave this here? Was it a message? Was it a cry for help? he didn't know.

He could immediately tell that the poem was about human nature and it unsettled him because it was true. He could relate to this.

"What are you looking at?" He heard a voice say. He looked back and saw one of his comrades approaching him.

"This…" he said, pointing to the book. "It's a poem." The man looked at it, reading the page.

"Weird," He remarked simply. "What's on the other pages?"

The man turned to the next page. On it, he saw a formula for a seal.

"A seal?" he murmured, caught off guard. "Looks like a storage seal."

"What's in it?"

"I don't know," he put his hand over the seal and pumped chakra into it. "Nothing…?"

Suddenly, blue lights shone around the room, glowing in the darkness.

"What are they?" The purple haired woman asked.

"They're… SHI-!"

The speaker was interrupted by a colossal explosion. The earth shook like a meteorite had fallen and the whole room was completely blown to nothing.

The whole mansion suddenly was blown to pieces as the whole island felt the force of the explosion.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Orochimaru felt the explosion and his eyebrow rose.

"Oh?" He said in mild amusement. "Looks like somebody's already here."

He looked at his travelling companions. The sound four.

"Well shit," A red haired girl, Tayuya, said. She wore similar clothes to Orochimaru and had a cap on her head. Her eyes were brown and she had a scowl on her face.

"A lady shouldn't speak like that," A large, orange haired man chided. He wore a sleeveless version of the outfit and had a necklace with nine bars lined up on it.

"Now, now, children," Orochimaru placated, "Let's just go and greet our friend."

"Orochimaru-sama," Tayuya said cautiously. "He's probably dead, isn't he?"

"I don't believe so," Orochimaru chuckled. "Hmm, let's find them, shall we?"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto travelled through the trees silently, his ears peeled and all his senses turned on.

He had taken most of the things of value. He had deposited his jutsu collection and money to a small hideout just before he called for the massacre. He was all set. All he needed was to escape.

But there was the problem.

"Who are these people?" Naruto muttered. He could sense, by feeling hatred, a group of 21 approaching his position. That was unexpected. He didn't expect any more people and he quickly deducted that it was another group or village. Konoha had no need to send reinforcements because they deployed 12 people.

Speeding through hand seals, he vanished, only his shadow on the floor and then it disappeared into the trees.

He waited for a minute, wanting to see who was approaching.

"How are we even going to find them?" He heard a voice say. His eyes focused and he saw a silver haired boy wearing lipstick.

Naruto's eyes narrowed. He did not recognise the attire.

"Now, now, Sakon-kun."

Naruto's interest was piqued. The voice held a certain dark quality that resonated with Naruto. He focused and when he saw who it belonged to, his eyebrow rose.

'_Orochimaru of the Sannin.' _He realised. He would definitely not be able to kill him. The safest option was to just flee; he had not accounted for this and there was no need to be reckless. He could not take out this man.

Naruto was a cautious person and he never let his guard down for a second.

He was about to make a move for it, but he saw Orochimaru's yellow eyes roll over to where he was standing.

"Come out, come out," Orochimaru said, looking right at him.

Naruto wordlessly kawarimi'ed away.

…

Only to find himself in the face of Orochimaru. He shot back, his jutsu fading.

"You used Kawarimi to get away? Quite impressive, but I tracked your chakra and pursued you."

Naruto smiled.

"Ah, that's rather impressive, I must say, Orochimaru-san," Naruto replied back politely. Naruto looked around and saw himself surrounded. "It was worth a try."

"A child?" Orochimaru asked, his eyes glinting in interest. "You were behind all this?"

"Behind all what?" Naruto asked innocently. "I'm afraid you'll have to elaborate."

Orochimaru laughed.

"Hey!" A chuunin yelled, "Who do you think you're talking to like that?"

Orochimaru turned his head and gave the man a piercing lare. "Silence. Let me speak to this boy." He turned back to Naruto and, with a small, unnerving smile, he said;

"What an interesting child! No hint of a lie, but I know you are lying."

"Ah, I'm in a bit of a rush, you see. I left my stove on so if you don't mind..." Naruto kept up his smile, despite the dire situation.

Orochimaru looked vaguely amused. His eyes widened slightly as he looked at the boy closer.

"Hahaha… who would have thought that I would have run into the honourable Hokage's ever elusive son here?" He looked at Naruto with something akin to hunger. "Boy, I want to make you an offer."

"Oh and what would that be?" Naruto asked, feigning interest. He had no desire to live underneath anybody.

"I could offer you power. Why did you leave home? Were you jealous of your jinchuuriki sister? That she was more special than you? Did you want power? I could give you everything you desire and more…"

"And all you want is my loyalty," Naruto finished. "An enticing offer… but I must decline."

Orochimaru frowned slightly and his face became more threatening. "I don't believe that you have a choice."

"I don't?" Naruto's grin grew wider. "You're a pretty mean guy. I mean, forcing poor little me to join your little group… do you have no shame? I'm a an innocent and impressionable young boy," He grinned at the irony of his statement. "You're quite the manipulative one, aren't you?"

Orochimaru chuckled. "I don't believe for a second that you are as innocent as you claim to be. You have a strange aura about you, boy. I like it. You remind me of somebody I know," Orochimaru said, thinking of Kabuto.

Naruto's eyes opened, his immortal grin not dying.

"So perceptive," Naruto chirped. "I think we could have become great friends if your face wasn't so bothersome to look at. It just screams 'untrustworthy', you know?"

Orochimaru peered into Naruto's eyes. When you were wizened like him, you knew how to judge people from the look in their eyes. It came with time, or for some, it came naturally. What he saw… it was nothing he had seen before. He had met some of the most vile men in the world, but nobody's eyes felt so chilling before.

Naruto's eyes didn't emanate any malice, hate or love. It reminded him of one of Danzo's drones, but somehow more frightening. There was something lurking in there, but he didn't know what. He had seen thirsts for power, money, women and many other things in the eyes of other men, but they couldn't compare to this. It was the complete lack of empathy in them that was so fearsome. Even Orochimaru had some empathy at a point in his life, but this boy looked like he had never felt such a thing.

"I'm going to show you how powerless you are and show you how much you need my power."

Naruto was formulating escape plans in his mind at a thousand miles per hour. He could tell that a fight was inevitable, but it was a fight that he could not win. Not against Orochimaru.

His legs spread slightly and his knees bent. He closed his eyes…

Then threw a smoke bomb on the floor.

The people around him started coughing and he made a quick escape bid, only to be intercepted by Orochimaru's head shooting at him with an elongated neck. Naruto quickly kawarimi'ed away and went to escape again, but he was pursued again.

'_This is a forest,' _Naruto thought. _'I can't keep running here.'_

Orochimaru smirked. "Stop trying to run away, my dear Naruto-kun," Orochimaru purred. "Sound four, do it!"

Naruto looked around stoically as a violet barrier erected around them.

He backflipped away from Orochimaru, landing on the edge of a cearing.

"**Four Violet Flames Formation!"**

"Ah! You've got me trapped," Naruto said, scratching the back of his neck. "You guys are really sneaky."

Orochimaru smirked. He wondered how a young boy like that could be so nonchalant.

"I really do like you, Naruto kun."

"I am wondering how you know my name," Naruto interrupted.

"Just a little bit of research, you see. That doesn't matter, though, does it?" Orochimaru grinned deviously. "Well, we have all the time in the world… Let's test you a little, shall we?"

Naruto didn't reply. _'That's good,' _Naruto thought. He could find a way to escape, then. Once again, he was being underestimated. He would miss that privilege when he grew up. Or maybe, Orochimaru was that assured in his men.

It didn't matter.

"Genin," Orochimaru called out and six people stood forward. Naruto stared them down.

"Ah, so you're the disposable ones?"

A bandaged boy snarled. "Shut up!" I'll show you why I shouldn't be under-," he was interrupted by a kunai swiftly planting in his forehead.

"What were you going to do?" Naruto chirped. "So who's next?"

A long, black haired girl who was standing next to the boy slid into a battle stance, but as her comrades jumped away in alarm, an explosion went off and her body exploded in a shower of blood.

Orochimaru's eyes lit up, but his face stayed neutral.

'_Interesting… He didn't throw that Kunai at first, he left a clone in the trees whilst I confronted him, drawing attention away from it with an elaborate backflip. He then made that clone throw a kunai with an explosive tag - and a minor genjutsu on it, drawing away Kin-chan's attention with word, lulling her into a false sense of security. Certainly interesting.'_

"You broke the genjutsu?" Naruto said carelessly. "Shame. I hoped to get rid of you all at once."

A spiky haired boy wearing a beige top with the kanji for 'death' on the front of it smirked. "I'm not like them," He announced. Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

With that, Naruto rushed forward with about half of his speed. Zaku raised his hands to call out a jutsu.

"Decapitating Airwa-," he was interrupted as Naruto changed from half of his speed, to about three quarters of his speed and was upon him before he had the chance to finish his technique. A kunai was in his heart and Naruto seemed to punch him in the stomach and pushed him off to his comrades.

A boy with white hair caught him, but couldn't see what his team could see and as they fled, an explosive tag on Zaku's stomach hissed and in a flash, both of their bodies had blown up.

Orochimaru was almost salivating.

'_Before the fight has really started, his maximize all opportunities given. Whilst many like to test their opponent out, he takes them out in what could be considered the 'footises' of the fight, here nobody is going 100%... except for him. But now, they've learned and it won't be so easy.'_

A purple haired girl and a black haired boy looked at each other and nodded.

Naruto, not giving them a chance to formulate a plan, vanished in a shunshin, appearing behind the boy, only to see his leg swinging at him in prediction of his appearance. Not even blinking, Naruto caught his leg and with his own, kicked the boy's knee, breaking it. The purple haired girl rushed at him with a kunai from behind, and Naruto swung the boy's body around so he was on the receiving end of the stab.

The girl's eyes went wide, but Naruto dropped the body and rushed at her. She turned her body to the side to lessen the area that Naruto could hit, but she immediately blushed.

Naruto had pinched her butt.

Her hands shot to her rear quickly, but she didn't have any time to say anything as a golden kunai was immediately stuck in her face.

'_He's making these kunai out of nowhere… a bloodline?'_

Naruto ripped the kunai out of her face and then threw it at her again for good measure.

'_But that misdirection and subtlety… simply beautiful.'_

"Chunin," Orochimaru called out. Naruto stood with his back turned. He rotated his head so one of his eyes were visible and they all felt a chill run down their necks.

"We know now not to let our guard down," they said firmly. 10 balaclava clad men wearing deep grey tops with black undershirts stepped forward.

Naruto smiled and his hands slid into his Kunai pouch.

"That's good," he hummed. His wrist flicked out, and a regular kunai flew at the man in front's head. He dodged it soundly, but found his muscles jarred.

'_He threw the Kunai in one hand and in the other, he threw senbon when his target was distracted. Genius.' _Orochimaru thought.

The man was immediately killed by his comrades as he was nothing but a hindrance.

"That was pretty harsh," Naruto said. He soon found himself surrounded by the men.

"He was nothing but a waste of space. He would hold us back.

Naruto's eyes flickered to the tree line and a barrage of kunai came out with exploding tags attached to them. It was the clone he had left from earlier that threw them. The men immediately spread and a series of explosions circled him, causing smoke to cover him.

Getting more serious, he threw a kunai up in the air and replaced himself with it. The smoke cleared, revealing him to be gone.

"Where has he gone?" One shinobi asked.

"Up!" One announced, pointing to a soaring Naruto. All readying kunai, they launched them at him, as he looked vulnerable

His hands sped through seals as he started to fall.

"**Fuuton: Fist of the wind God." **He murmured and all the kunai aimed at him scattered and a light force hit the men, making them have to stick their feet to the ground with chakra. That's exactly what he wanted.

Soaring down without a weapon in hand, he locked on to a lone shinobi staring at him with a kunai grasped in his hand ready to kill him.

Closer.

The man was ready to draw blood.

Closer.

The boy was almost in his range. Just a few centimetres more…

_SLASH!_

The man froze, the boy behind him, a katana in hand that wasn't there before. It was drawn and his body slowly slid in half.

"Damn it," A man roared, going to charge Naruto, but the boy vanished into the trees as a smoke bomb hit the ground.

'_He's using his clone in the trees to support him. His teamwork with himself is perfect. I must have him on my side.'_

The men scattered for cover.

"We have to lure him out!"

A kunai pierced through the tree the man who had shouted was stood at pierced through him like a target brutally.

"He's there!" One shouted. They rapidly approached where they fought he was so they wouldn't get hit, but kunai planted in their back from the opposite direction. Three thumps were heard.

There were five men left.

The men nodded to each other and vanished into the trees themselves.

_Crunch._

It was almost inaudible. Learning from their mistakes, they quietly made a signal to each other and slowly approached the position they heard the leaf be stepped on.

Nodding to each other, two men rushed around the trees and with speed, stabbed the figure that was waiting behind them.

They looked at Naruto's impaled body. His blue eyes were wide and his mouth was frozen open.

"God damn it, we were meant to take him alive!"

"G-gr-," the boy stuttered out. He grinned. "_Great clone explosion." _he whispered. The men heard it, though and they jumped.

An explosion.

The men were sent flying away, but were not dead. The real Naruto appeared before them and with one swipe of his sword, they were both beheaded. From three directions, he was rushed abruptly as the last of the ninja came to kill him.

Orochimaru readied himself to intervene from the sidelines, greatly entertained by the fight. But now, after he had finished was the time to claim him as his own.

A smoke bomb exploded from where Naruto was and three grunts were heard.

A few seconds later, a kunai flew from the smoke and straight at Jirobo, who was ready to block it, but did not expect it to turn to a blond boy who forced him to drop the barrier as he quickly drew a kunai to deflect the boy's own as he landed on the ground.

They clashed… but something wasn't right.

The boy had let go of his kunai.

'_Kunai kage bunshin...' _Naruto thought as Jirobo's knife neared his body. He grabbed the kunai out of the air as the original fell and before his dropped kunai hit the ground, the cloned kunai was planted soundly in Jirobo's forehead, killing him before he could reveal his trump card.

Naruto went to run away, but found himself bound by snakes as he tried to struggle.

"Orochimaru-san," Naruto whined childishly.

'_A clone...' _Orochimaru immediately realised.

Orochimaru's eyes widened as he saw another Naruto jump right past him and vanish. He went to let go of Naruto, but the boy's clone exploded, forcing him to use kawarimi to escape. He went to pursue from his position in the trees, but a human head was thrown at him.

Orochimaru let it hit the ground, not falling for any possible traps. He looked at the head as it rested on the ground. There was fresh blood dripping off it and the mask that was previously on it had been removed, revealing scruffy black hair and a goatee.

On the forehead, he saw carved two kanji for 'heaven' connected by a line and then the kanji for 'full moon' carved on the cheek.

'_A message?' _Orochimaru thought. He didn't get much time to look at it as it exploded in a rain if bloody chunks.

"Insolent brat!" Orochimaru spat, truly angry. "How dare he run away from me!"

He stumbled across a diamond, only for it to disappear right underneath his eyes, losing a valuable tool in the process, too. How infuriating!

**Jeez, this chapter was a bitch to write. Everything felt 'off' and I had to figure out how to word some things. I honestly nearly punched my screen so many times. Especially the fight scene. The whole point of Naruto's style is to take people out before they get serious and exploit openings, but it makes things look boring. Sorry if you guys didn't like it, but I tried my best there.**

**That scene with Naruto drowning the guy in blood wasn't there just so Naruto looked messed up or anything like that. It was metaphorical... figure it out yourself, you can from the things Naruto says and the overall theme of the story.**

**On a side note, I gave my other chapters titles, finally. **

**If you guys like this Naruto, check out an anime called 'Monster'. The antagonist in that series makes Naruto look almost stable.**


	11. Chapter 11

**I don't own Naruto**

**On a side note, there will be no chapter next week.**

* * *

Orochimaru looked into the room. An orange haired teen stood in the middle of at least 50 corpses, his skin brown and his features wild. The darkness seemed to swallow the snake-like man and his yellow eyes gleamed with an unhinged satisfaction and pride in his inhumane brilliance. But that did not last for long.

His thoughts were elsewhere.

The message that the boy had put on the forehead of the man was on his mind. Heavens joined together, along with new moon.

He deducted it to a meeting time and location.

Full moon was obvious. He had deducted that from first glance. But, heaven to heaven? That was more ambiguous.

The line obviously had meant something. It was almost like a… bridge.

Of course, a bridge. Heaven to heaven… the closest thing he could think of was the Tenchi bridge, the heaven to earth bridge but that wasn't the same.

However, it was his best bet. Nothing else made a remote amount of sense. If he missed his chance, then well, it would be a shame, but he would make another opportunity. His tongue snaked out and he licked his lips delightedly. His facial muscles twisted upwards minutely and then his head leant back.

He let out a bark of laughter, that slowly got louder as it continued.

Glasses glinted from the darkness.

"What a fool," Orochimaru laughed, his arms crossing. "He holds too much value in himself."

"Orochimaru-sama?"

"I thought that Minato's brat had slipped out of my grasp, but now he's walking back into it. Trap or no trap, he is playing exactly where I want him."

"Ah, Kabuto-kun," Orochimaru grinned. "Just the man I wanted to see. Assist me in a mission."

"Of course, may I ask which mission, Orochimaru-sama?"

"I want you to ambush Naruto-kun with me, along with others, too." Orochimaru didn't look back at Kabuto to speak to him. "It seems that he has planned a meeting between us. An interesting thought, but I am eager to seize the opportunity to capture him. He may be planning something, that I cannot deny. I have seen how cunning he is first hand. It would not be a stretch to imagine that he is luring us into a trap… but he is a child, no not a child. He is inexperienced." Orochimaru stared forward. _'Nobody with eyes like that could ever be considered a child.'_

"I see," Kabuto said stonily. "I'll assist you in any way possible."

"Good." Orochimaru walked off, leaving Kabuto on his own. "I will inform your team mates about the mission."

Orochimaru walked through the twisting corridors of his base. There was a sinister glow emanating from every side of the building, and primal, tribal patterns snaked all over the walls. There were a number of doors, that contained nothing but identical, empty rooms, made to disorientate anybody who tried to map out the base. He meandered with consistent, purposeful steps that held power and instinctively put even other predators on guard in fear of being swallowed whole.

Orochimaru eventually approached a door. Giving it a quick knock, although, he did not need to, he pushed it open immediately and was greeted by one his most loyal followers.

"Kimimaro-kun," Orochimaru said, getting the attention of an empty faced young man with green eyes like marbles, red markings underneath them and two dots on his forehead. His hair was tied in a low, white ponytail with bangs framing his face and he was garbed in a loose lavender zip up top and black shinobi pants tied up mid-calf with bandages.

"Orochimaru-sama," Kimimaro said, immediately standing up, ignoring his body's protests and bowing.

"Stand down, Kimimaro," Orochimaru smirked. He had his servants under complete control. "I need your assistance. Meet me in my study in exactly one hour for a debriefing."

"As you wish," Kimimaro replied with complete dedication.

Orochimaru nodded and walked out, walking through the sinister hideout once more.

'_There's no way you'll be able to escape now. I've got you within my grasp now.'_

Knocking on another door, Orochimaru walked in without waiting for a reply.

"Guren," He said, gaining a blue haired girl's attention. She had a spiky ponytail and was wearing a green dress with a furred collar. She was looking at herself in a pink crystal before Orochimaru intruded, it was still cradled in her hand.

"Meet me in my study in exactly an hour," he said with none of the fondness in his voice that he directed at Kimimaro. She nodded hurriedly and Orochimaru smirked.

He walked out, licking his lips hungrily. He had a little blond boy on his menu tonight and he would be… delectable.

* * *

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Konoha Academy**

"Damn it!" Natsuko cursed, leaning her fist on her chin. "I should have known…!"

"What?" Sasuke asked blankly. Natsuko turned a smoldering glare on the boy.

"Shut up!" She immediately spat at him. She crossed her arms and turned her face away. _'3...2...1' _She thought.

"Natsuko-baka!" A shrill scream was heard. "Don't talk to Sasuke-kun like that!" A pink haired girl wearing red qipao dress with circular designs on the arms and back fumed. Her name was Haruno Sakura. Natsuko turned to her with a grin.

"Sasuke's a big boy, he can look after himself dattebane!" She exclaimed. "Maybe if you spent more time training than trying to look pretty for him, he might notice you!"

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, looking out of the window, neither confirming or denying Natsuko's exclamation.

Sakura's fists clenched. "I train a lot!" _'Maybe she's right?' _she thought inwardly.

"Yeah? Since when?" Natsuko asked. "Listen… I may not like you all that much, but if we're going to be teammates, then you're going to have to step things up. How can I be Hokage if I just let my teammates die? Right, Sasuke?"

Sasuke didn't spare them a glance. "As long as you don't hold me back."

Sakura looked at the ground. Natsuko thought she would die? That was so horrible; how could she say such a thing? Sakura's eyes closed. Iruka-sensei did say that being a ninja wasn't easy and if she thought about it logically, then a bad ninja would die. Maybe… she could train a little more.

She didn't say anything more. She just sent a wistful glance at Sasuke and lost herself in her thoughts.

"Man, if Kakashi-nii is our sensei, I'm gonna kick his ass!"

"Oh really?" She heard the voice from behind her and she slowly looked around to see a tall masked man with spiky silver hair and a forehead protector covering his left eye.

"Kakashi…? H-how…?" She said shakily. "Nevermind!" She shouted, standing straight up, but she was stopped in her tracks by Kakashi's next words.

"Maa… if you assault your sensei, then I might have to get your team dissolved."

"You can't do that!" Natsuko pointed right at him with pouty lips. "We're ninja now!"

Kakashi simply smiled underneath his mask.

"Sit down Natsuko," It was Sasuke who spoke.

"Don't tell me what to do, you bastard!"

Kakashi sighed. _'Well, this is going to be a challenge.'_

* * *

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Minato sat in his office fiddling with a pen. His shoulders were slightly slumped as he stared forward.

"Give them a chance, Kakashi," Minato sighed. "They'll do better than you think."

"They're dysfunctional. Why did you even put them on the same team? Isn't it tradition to put the rookie of the year, dead last and best kunoichi on the same team? And surely Sakura would benefit more on a team with Kurenai?"

Minato rubbed his chin. "I know that they're dysfunctional and I'm breaking tradition, but there's potential in a team like that. A genius shinobi with good all round skills, a kunoichi with almost perfect chakra control and a skilled heavy hitter with large chakra reserves and a lot of power… who does that remind you of?"

Kakashi blinked. "... The Sanin."

Minato nodded. "I truly believe that they can become as great, or greater than the Sanin. Besides, I needed to put Natsuko and Sasuke on the same team. Natsuko may act like she doesn't like him, but they've been friends since they were children. If there's anybody that can help Sasuke move forward, it's her. She has been one of the few constants in his life along with his mother." Minato stared into Kakashi's eye. "They're rivals. They push each other to be better."

"I can't help but feel that you're neglecting Sakura here."

Minato shook his head. "Absolutely not. Her infatuation for Sasuke will push her to be better if Natsuko has anything to do with it. She may be a fangirl now, but I believe that she has it in her to be a splendid kunoichi. They balance each other out."

Kakashi nodded.

"I understand Minato-sensei," Kakashi said. He was able to see the weariness in Minato's eyes. It didn't belong in a man like his sensei, but at 38 years old, he was an old man by ninja standards.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi. Normally, they wouldn't even have been genin until next year, but desperate times call for desperate measures and I'm counting on you to turn this generation into splendid shinobi."

"Yes, Minato-sensei. I won't let you down."

Minato smiled. "You never have so far, Kakashi."

Kakashi gave a two fingered salute and with a single hand seal, he vanished in a puff of smoke.

Minato spun the pen in his fingers and then leant forward to start writing.

He was interrupted by his office door opening.

"You can't go in there!"

"Like I care," Kushina growled, ignoring the frantic woman's cries.

"Let her in," Minato said to his secretary, looking up from his papers. He knew this was coming, he could sense her before. He was greeted by the sight of his wife and his nervous secretary.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," She relented, walking away.

"What do you need, Kushina-chan?" Minato asked, looking up apprehensively.

She fidgeted. "Minato…" She said hesitantly. He simply listened to her.

"I know," she swallowed the lump in her throat. "I know why you chose to do what you did," she admitted. "And I know why it was necessary," Kushina clenched her fists. "But I still can't accept it!"

Minato closed his eyes in resignation.

"You're a good Hokage, I'll give you that," She said, making Minato's heart warm and some of his insecurities fade a little. "But be a father for once. If you're not willing to send out search parties for him, then fine… but at least let me look for him!" She pleaded. The desperation was etched onto her face. Her warm purple eyes had been sanded by distress and anxiety.

Minato's face hardened. "I can't do that."

Kushina's eyes blazed in fury. "What!?"

Minato didn't flinch this time. This was to protect Kushina. To protect Konoha.

"I said no. I can't let you do that. Not now"

"Why?" Kushina asked forcefully. "Why are you giving up on our son. Stop being such a bastard and let. Me. Look. For. Him."

"No," Minato said once more. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that would be? I know you're strong and can look after yourself, but think things through here."

"Think things through? There's nothing to think about!"

"But there is. Kushina… listen." Minato pleaded. "There's a group after you. Or more specifically, people like you."

"I don't care," Kushina said stubbornly.

"You should. They're dangerous… you and Natsuko, your lives are at risk. Think a little, please. I don't want to have to bury my daughter and my wife."

Kushina froze. Minato was an idealistic person at heart. To hear him speak so gravely meant that the threat was real.

"Are they really that threatening?"

Minato nodded.

"It's a group that goes by 'Akatsuki'. I've kept things hidden as to not cause a panic, but I fear that you will get 're a group of S-rank criminals, Kushina. You're not that strong! You're an upper A-rank at best, Kushina. Don't be reckless."

Kushina crossed her arms, shaken out of her temporary self-doubt. "I don't care. Let me search for my sochi-kun or I'll never forgive you."

Minato snapped.

"Listen to yourself!" He shouted. "Do you know how selfish you're being!? You have a daughter, too! What would she do if you went and got yourself killed for no reason!? What would I do!?"

"For no reason!?" Kushina spat. "Is saving our son no reason to you!? Don't you care about him!? What would Natsuko say if she knew her father was giving up on the brother that she was so desperately trying to get back!? You're being selfish… this isn't about Natsuko. It's about you! It's about Konoha… It's always about Konoha!"

Minato felt like all his veins were about to burst in frustration. He wanted to grab something and squeeze it until it turned into dust. Irritation bubbled up from the bottom of his spine.

"I'm Hokage, what can I do!? Family or the village… do you know how hard of a choice that is? I try to compromise but it never works! Things are going to shit and I can't do a thing about it! I must be the worst Hokage ever. I'm always forced to make these decisions, not just for the village, but for you, too. If the village falls, then you and Natsuko fall, too. I'm just trying to protect you…and I don't know what to do. Tell me, what do I do?"

Minato was helpless now. His eyes were those of a lost puppy - of a man that had run out of options.

Kushina froze up. "I… I don't know." She admitted. "I'm sorry, it's just… my son. Who knows what's happening to him. Does he hate us? Does he think we abandoned him? Has he been brainwashed? It tortures me all the time."

"I know. I'm sorry, too, Kushina. But still, I can't let you go."

"I'm sorry, Minato, I understand… but if there's a chance, I'm not giving up. I'll listen to you for now, but if I hear anything, then I'm going. Make me a missing nin, send people to kill me, set the whole world against me… I don't care. I'm going and that's that."

Minato nodded solemnly. "Yes, do as you wish. You're a better parent than I am."

* * *

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Orochimaru sat on his throne, exuding an aura of self-worth and to a certain extent, vanity. He looked at his subjects with an amused grin.

"Don't lecture me on respect, you four-eyed bastard," Guren growled at Kabuto.

"Now, now, Guren-chan…"

"Don't call me 'Guren-chan,' I'm not your friend you shady freak."

"Right," Kabuto smirked, pushing up his glasses. He went to say something, but was interrupted by Orochimaru.

"Don't squabble in my presence," Orochimaru scolded. "Let's get to the point, shall we?"

Kimimaro spoke up. "Of course, Orochimaru-sama."

"Good," Orochimaru said. "As you know, little Naruto-kun has organised a meeting with me at the night of the full moon." He sent a snaking tongue out to lick his lips. "We will utilise this opportunity to capture him."

"If I may, Orochimaru-sama," Guren intervened. "Naruto as in the Hokage's missing son? He is around the age of 11 is he not?"

"Correct, Guren. But he is not to be taken lightly. I am not sure of the extent of his strength, but for his age, it is great. His strength is not the thing to be wary of however… it is his mind. He is smart, but as to how smart, I am not sure. However, he is cunning and his eyes show a detached, ruthless and sinister intelligence that has unknown depths. Do not, under any circumstances, underestimate him."

"What if he is luring us into a trap?" she suggested.

"Do you really think so lowly of me? Of course I considered that possibility. Don't insult my strength," Orochimaru said with a calm fury. "In fact, that is very likely. For this reason, I will send out some fodder first before the meeting is scheduled. I am no fool." His eyes pierced through Guren like laser beams. "I want you to stay hidden whilst I capture Naruto-kun. You will be the unknown factors."

Orochimaru's eyes glinted.

"But he would have already predicted back-up. I will make it look as if I have other, weaker companions and you will stay far away, being my real back-up. People like that always think steps ahead."

"What if he does predict that?" Kabuto asked, pushing up his glasses. "I don't doubt you, but if he really is as smart as you think, then it would be sensible to believe that he has predicted that outcome."

"I doubt he will. He lacks experience," Orochimaru smirked. "Even if he does, it will not matter. I will not let him escape this time."

Orochimaru picked up a glass of water that was on his armrest and took a sip from it. He put it down, still some clear liquid remaining, but he ignored it as he stood up.

He had far more concerning things to think about than a glass of water.

* * *

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The full moon glared down at the earth with contempt, glowing in anger at all the evil the world contained. The sky was a dark and furtive blue that blended into the land. Mist like clouds crept like fumes slowly through the midnight sky. Trees shivered as a gust of wind whistled through the area. The shadows of the land coated the beasts of the night and glowing yellow eyes were visible in the darkness from all directions. There was a small bridge connecting two halves of the land separated by a pit of darkness that would swallow anything that fell in with no remorse.

One set of yellow eyes, not of a wolf, but rather of a snake moved forward at a slow and steady pace on one side of the bridge, emanating an aura of mistrust and danger that repelled all nature away from them instinctively. On the other side, a cloaked figure almost hovered like a phantom as he moved forward. They would join in the middle.

They reached the middle.

"How nice of you to come, Naruto-kun," Orochimaru greeted. _'and give me a chance to take you all for myself.'_

"Thank you for meeting me at such a short notice," his voice said. "I apologise for killing some of your men…. they were quite scary, you know? It's hard to stay composed in such a dire situation."

"It's no problem. They were expendable anyway," Orochimaru said. _'He feels slightly different, but he is probably suppressing his chakra. His voice is the same, so it should be fine and he is not a clone.'_

"I was worried that I offended you. Now I can sleep easily at night! Although, not now with so many people watching me," Naruto exclaimed quietly. Orochimaru's eyes widened and he wondered what Naruto would do. "No matter, I just wanted to offer you something."

"Oh?" Orochimaru asked, interested. "What?"

"Information," Naruto said. He withdrew a black book from his pocket and offered it to Orochimaru. "Here."

Orochimaru didn't reach out to take it.

"Ah, It isn't trapped, I swear," Naruto exclaimed. "Look!" Naruto pumped a little chakra in it and opened the pages, showing it wasn't rigged with explosive notes.

"I see," Orochimaru agreed and then he took it. If it was a trap, then he could easily escape it. He was a sanin after all.

He looked through it and his eyes widened as he flickered through the page.

"Konoha's security information?" Orochimaru exclaimed. "How?"

Naruto didn't reply.

"Well, I thank you. I'll find an appropriate way to pay you back later," Orochimaru said with a smirk as his hands raised and Snakes erupted from his sleeves, binding Naruto.

"Nothing to say?" Orochimaru asked. "That was easier than expected."

Naruto's hood fell off, surprising Orochimaru. A cold chill ran down his neck. What…? _What!?_

Orochimaru was one of the smartest and strongest shinobi in the world. He couldn't… no, he _wouldn't _be outsmarted by a brat. It was impossible. But his eyes were not deceiving him, he realised as he blinked, and this boy certainly wasn't Uzumaki Naruto.

There stood an insignificant genin around the same age as the boy himself. He had a seal drawn in on his cheek and his eyes were dull.

"Tricked you!" A voice said, but the boy's mouth didn't move.

'_That's a recording seal… He recorded that, predicting what I was going to say and placed a random person in a genjutsu to pose as him? How did he know what I was going to say? He doesn't have a firm enough grasp of my personality to predict my responses. We've met once!"_

A piece of paper was unsealed from the boy's head, coming from a seal that Orochimaru didn't see. Orochimaru released the boy and caught the note.

It read:

_Sorry to dupe you like that, but I am a rather cautious person, you see. I couldn't have myself be captured. That just wouldn't do._

_I bet you're wondering what my initial message was all about? Thats a… secret! My apologies, Orochimaru-san, but the opportunity called for it. If we stay serious our whole life, the we'll get wrinkly, but I suppose that's why you're after immortality? How did I know that? Well, that's also a secret. I'm such a tease, haha but, you must appreciate good humour right? Because your attempt at capturing me was laughable!_

_You were going to use fodder as decoys and then your real back-up was hiding, making sure I didn't escape. A good idea in theory, but surely you could do better, I mean, you are the infamous Orochimaru of the Sannin, but I digress._

_Anyway, I hope you make good use of my gift; it's the only thing you're ever getting from me. I must offer you my apologies if I sound rude, but I have no intention of ever joining you. However, I won't stop you from doing what you do. I have no reason to, so you don't have to worry about innocent little me, okay? Farewell! I'd say I hope to see you again but that would be a lie, since you have a face only a mother could love… but she's dead isn't she? Ha!_

_Love from your friend!_

Orochimaru gritted his teeth and tore the letter in the rage. That irritating, infuriating and clever…. little _bastard. _He hated people mocking his brilliance and making a fool out of him. If he ever saw that boy again, he would pay. He would conduct the harshest of experiments on him and kill him slowly when he was of no more use.

Because, despite his anger, he had just realised how much of an uncontrollable force this child was. He couldn't control him and he never should attempt to, because he would more likely find himself dead than in control of a… _maelstrom _like that.

In his anger and frustration, he did not notice an invisible chameleon tailing him as he retreated, still seething.

* * *

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The three genin sat atop the roof of the academy, looking at their sensei expectantly as he read an orange book. They were patiently silent, to an extent. Natsuko was shifting a little as well as Sakura and Sasuke glared at nothing scornfully. His darkened black orbs then fixated on his sensei who was still ignoring their presence.

After a moment of silence, Kakashi snapped his book shut and with a smile, he said.

"Well, I am your new sensei, Hatake Kakashi, but you can call me Kakashi-sensei. If we're going to get to know each other, then we might as well introduce ourselves."

"What do you want to know?" Sakura asked.

Likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams for the future, stuff like that. Now, who wants to go first?"

There was an awkward silence.

"W-why don't you go first, sensei, since we don't know you and so we get to know how it's done?" Sakura suggested timidly. _'Plus, he looks kind of shady!'_

He hummed.

"Well, my name is Hatake Kakashi, I have no desire to tell you my likes and dislikes. I have a lot of hobbies and dreams? Hm…"

'_All we learned was his name...'_

"Now you go, from the left."

Sasuke's black eyes flickered upwards and the shadows seemed to stir around him. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I don't have any likes in particular," he said, his eyes flickering to Natsuko briefly, then away, "I have many things I dislike. My hobbies are… training and getting stronger, I suppose and my dream for the future is not a dream, because I will make it a reality. I will kill that man and avenge my family."

Kakashi inwardly sighed. _'I suppose that's to be expected.' _he thought.

"Now, you, pinky," Kakashi drawled.

Glaring for the pinky comment, she then smiled and started introducing herself. "My name is Haruno Sakura. My likes are," she sent a glance at Sasuke and squealed, but caught the disappointed look from Natsuko and then looked down in shame for a second. "My dislikes are Ino-pig and Natsuko-baka!" Just because she valued Natsuko's opinion, doesn't mean she liked her! "My hobbies are," she sent a glance at Sasuke once more, but then hesitated. "... reading, I guess. And my dream for the future… is to get Sasuke-kun to notice me."

"Hn."

Kakashi gave the girl a brief glance. _'Girls like that are always the first to die but it looks like she's made a step into changing already. That's good. She can't stay the same in a war like this. She would not last long.'_

"And now you, princess," Kakashi said, making Natsuko glare heatedly.

"My name is Uzumaki Natsuko! I like… ramen and training! Oh, and my family… and friends, too! My dislikes are…" she hummed, tapping her bottom lip with her finger. "People who don't take their training seriously, and people who only recognise me for being the Hokage's daughter. My hobbies are training and eating ramen. My goals for the future… I want to get everybody in the village to acknowledge me as me and eventually become Hokage! And…" She looked at the ground solemnly. "I want to find my little brother. No! I'm going to find him!"

Kakashi nodded. _'Not surprising… she has a lot of promise and a good attitude, but she's still naive. That won't be good in a war.'_

"All right then," Kakashi said, "Now we've gotten to know each other…"

* * *

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The candles glowed ominously around the dark, sinister room. The room was clean, but it looked like a dungeon. Rows of grey bricks were lined up in four walls. On one of the walls, located right in the middle of it was a painting of a delicate angel with her arms benevolently spread, however, she was littered by stains of crimson blood. Despite this, she still had a gentle, soul soothing smile that created a rather unsettling image. The epitome of purity, tainted by blood. It showed that evil resided in even the most innocent of beings. Or, to obtain a state of peace, one needed to bathe in the blood of countless people.

There was a small chair in one corner of the room behind a desk. One small figure sat on it with his legs up on the desk. The candle light gave him a slight glow, revealing blonde hair and an angelic male face.

"Things are moving," the childish voice of Naruto said. "I wonder…"

He ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, at least the exchange between Orochimaru-san was successful. I'm glad that Suterusu-kun was able to tail him. Now I can get all the information I need out of him. What an interesting man…"

Naruto knew that Orochimaru was no fool, but he also knew that despite having very different motivations, that they were also similar people in the way that they worked. They would often beat around the bush and lure people in with an obviously faux polite demeanour. Everybody was a tool and they felt no remorse, not bound by morals. They found no motivation on 'right and wrong,' but in Orochimaru's case, desire, and in Naruto's case, the way of nature.

The message that Naruto left Orochimaru was really related to his own goals. By unleashing the ugly true nature of humans, he would create beauty. Things in this world were created by parallels. Love fueled hate, war resulted in 'peace,' weakness created strength, unity constructed isolation and so forth. He'd douse the world in beauty… and then after that…

He'd create the **Absolute Beauty. **Heaven and earth would be one and the same…

Pure.

* * *

**Well, I had to include Natsuko in this chapter. She is similar to canon Naruto... very similar, but she will develop into her own character soon. Things are going to get moving properly and shit is going to go down.**

**I revealed some of Naruto's true intentions, but at the same time, I didn't. It's rather cryptic.**

**About the last chapter, Naruto is a lot stronger than he reveals. He's not S-rank, or even at Kakashi or Asuma's level, but he would be considered a prodigy in the leaf. He didn't reveal all of his jutsu, or use his chakra chains. He kept it to the bare basics so Orochimaru didn't know what he was capable of (Yet he still fights like that normally). When Orochimaru said he went all out, he just meant with the intent to kill and not playing around.**

**He will get a lot stronger, too.**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


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